Ex umbra in solem
by sunnycalendargirl
Summary: Sequel to Vivi Memor Leti. Memories of the future haunt Tsuna in transformative ways. As he grows as a boss and a friend, his relationships with the people around him change in many ways. R27, X27, 1827, ALL27, all sorts of pairings, really.
1. Prologue: Inter spem et metum

**Prologue: Inter spem et metum (Sawada Household / Namimori / Current Day)**

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Author's Notes

I'm not a huge fan of lengthy author's notes in fan fiction, but in this case I feel that some early clarifications are necessary, as I've diverged here and there from canon in some ways I'd like to explain, to avoid a flurry of questions about why I might have done that.

**Ownership:** I don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn!, and never will. So this is all done for my own fun and entertainment.

**Title:** This is a direct sequel to _Vivi memor leti_. The title of this story, **"Ex umbra in solem"** translates to **"from the shadow into the light"**. It refers to the transition from the early nightmares and pain of _Vivi memor leti_ that led to Tsuna's choice of actions there into his current and ongoing transitions into a young mafia boss. Chapters and future additional story arcs will be titled in a similar way. Latin is good for the soul.

**Ratings and pairings:** **This is an NC-17 story.** There is sex. Specifically it contains yaoi, yuri, and heterosexual interactions between a variety of characters. There is a lot of it. Be prepared. If you don't like it, don't read it.

More specifically, the primary relationship focus through this story and its following story arcs is Reborn/Tsuna (R27). However, Tsuna and others have physical and emotional relationships with a lot of people in this set of stories. You'll see pretty much every Guardian (including Chrome) in some way with Tsuna at some point in time and possibly with each other. You'll see Xanxus and Tsuna as well. Again, if you don't like that idea, don't read it.

**Timeline:** This is set directly after _Vivi memor leti_ ends, which was set close to two years after the Ten Years Later story arc in the manga and anime. Tsuna and most of his friends are sixteen or seventeen now, depending on the range of ages starting out. Lambo and I-pin are nine years old and Futa is just barely thirteen. The two younger kids are in primary school and Futa is in middle school. The older teens have moved up to high school.

**Back Story:** The initial premise of the original story arc was that when the Ten Years Later arc ended and they returned to their own time, their memories were altered. So they simply believe that they'd been at one of Reborn's training camps and that's where the box weapons and additional skills have come from. The girls' memories are altered to have been cooking and providing cheering and so on for the training. This is done to prevent them from doing anything rash in an attempt to change the future.

Unfortunately, Tsuna's Sky ring retains the memories and emotions of the events in the future and he starts having nightmares of those events that haunt him for the next two years. As a result of those dreams, he's started changing his relationships with the people around him. Over time his desperation to avoid losing the people he cares about starts changing him as well.

**Relevant Notations:** This was written after episode 158 aired and after chapter 251 in the manga. So anything happening in canon past those points might not appear or apply in this story. This is to avoid any attempts by me to go in and backfill facts, which I am very likely to do as I watch or read new canon materials. I have to cut myself off at some point and understand that things will become AU after that point.

Which brings me to the next note: **This story is AU.** I am changing the story away from the canon deliberately in many places to work on the portrayal of how Tsuna would or will evolve after these events as a person and a leader, and how it affects his relationships with the people around him. Not to mention all the sex.

**Textual/Content Notations:** I've diverged from the current canon in several ways. First of all, you'll see in the story that Tsuna refers to most of his Guardians by first name now. After almost four years together, I believe this would be the case. The children have all taken to calling Tsuna "Tsuna-nii".

I've retained the common Japanese naming structure, in that introductions for Japanese characters is last name, first name. For characters of other nationalities, it is first name, last name. I've also retained Japanese suffixes where I feel they are appropriate. In regards to the naming of various Vongola leaders, I'm sticking with the Italian structure (Primo, Decimo, etc.), rather than incorporating too many Japanese words.

In addition, I'm using the word "family" in two different contexts and so I will do my best to be consistent about differentiating between them using capital and non-capital letters. "Family" refers to a mafia Family, and "family" refers to what most people would consider a normal family unit. So when Tsuna refers to a person being "family" and "Family", it means that he considers them to be a part of both parts of his life.

**Feedback and Length:** Lastly, this is a long story. Chapter length will vary between 2,000 – 6,000 words on average, and like _Vivi memor leti_, it will stretch to 40 or so chapters. It will also contain similar interlude chapters.

Feedback and comments are always appreciated, constructive as well as opinions. Character attacks and inflammatory comments, however, will be deleted. No one needs to see people bashing the things that they care about, most especially in regards to sexuality, communication and feelings.

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"Mom," Tsuna started, hands clenched nervously in his lap, "I need to talk to you about something."

"Tsu-kun?" Nana looked up from the sink where she was washing the dishes and smiled at him sweetly. "What's on your mind?" Drying her hands, she settled in across from him at the table instead, waiting patiently for him to start.

Tsuna looked up at her and couldn't help but smile a little bit. There was always something so solid, gentle and reassuring about his mother. She'd never be a rocket scientist, it was clear, but she was the steel and concrete foundation that held his Family together. The children clung to her like she'd given birth to them, and the teens circled around her like she was a sun and they were caught in her orbit. On any given day, he'd find at least one of his friends settled at the kitchen table, chatting with her. All of which made what he had to say that much harder for him.

"Well, it's just that I noticed it's getting really crowded here these days, as Futa, Lambo and I-pin are growing up," Tsuna started again, biting his bottom lip. "Dad and I were talking about it the other day. There's just not enough room for everyone. So I was thinking that maybe it's time for me to find my own place to live." He hated doing this, just hated having to tell his mother that he was leaving her, especially when he had to do it in a way that wouldn't make her worry about the real reasons he was leaving.

"Iemitsu thought this was a good idea, Tsu-kun?" His mother was frowning at him slightly, eyes narrowing and Tsuna flinched internally, knowing that boded poorly for his father. Personally, however, he thought his dad could use a good whipping, so he wasn't about to make it easier on him.

"Reborn and Dad found a place for me that's closer to school and to my job," Tsuna told her, smiling warmly to reassure her. "I can afford it, and some of the others might decide to share it with me." Reaching out, he captured her hands with his own, squeezing them gently. "It would mean that Futa could have his own room, and Dad said he'd stay in town a few months and help reorganize part of the house to even give Lambo and I-pin their own rooms. Little girls need privacy, you know."

Nana watched him silently while she processed his words and her every emotion flashed across her face, tearing his heart apart into little pieces at the thought that he might be hurting her. It was time, he knew, for him to move into the safer living space that his father and Reborn had arranged beneath his offices. Moving would mean that his mother and the kids would be safer, without the risk of incidents like the one that had left him scarred front and back.

"I wouldn't be far away, and there's no way I can feed myself all the time," he added, playing on her need to care for people by feeding them. "I'd come back all the time for dinner and stuff. I'd be here to play with the kids, too. But they need you now, more than I can tell you, and it's time for me to grow up a bit and let them have their time with their Mama." He grinned at her, knowing how much she loved hearing the three young children call her that.

"You'll come for dinner at least three times a week," his mother stated, and he could see her calculating ways to make sure he visited. "You'll still be responsible for picking the children up after school and getting them home safely, too."

"Of course, Mom," Tsuna agreed immediately. The greater risks in him staying in the house were in the late hours when the rest of the world around them wouldn't notice an attack on the house. The chances of a daylight attack were almost zero, according to Lal and Basil. "We both know I'm a failure at laundry too, so you'll see me when I have dirty clothes, too."

"This would be a good time for you to learn to take care of yourself like a proper man," Nana told him, reaching over to ruffle his hair. "So I'll teach you to do your own laundry. I'm sure you can figure out the cleaning part yourself."

"I'm sure I'll figure it out before I die under a pile of garbage bags," he replied, smiling. "Reborn will make sure I behave myself, too. He'll be staying with me."

"Well, if Reborn will be there, then I won't worry too much," she told him gently, patting his cheek before standing again and brushing the small wrinkles out of her skirt. "I have so much to do, if your father is going to be staying for a while! I'll have to get more groceries! Oh, and we'll need to have a moving away party for your friends." He could see her already making lists in her head as he stood and kissed her cheek before heading up to his room.

Reborn looked up at him from his armchair where he was drinking espresso and reading the daily paper. "Did you handle it, Tsuna?"

"I told her," Tsuna replied, settling on the floor next to him and making a failed swipe at his coffee mug. "She took it better than I thought. Dad was right. Knowing that he'll be here for a while seems to be a good trade for my moving out. She's planning menus and a moving party."

"It takes a good boss to be able to break bad news in a way that makes someone happy," Reborn told him, lecturing tone firmly in place even as he took a smug sip from his mug. "You're finally learning, Tsuna."

"Does everything I do relate back to becoming a good boss, Reborn?" Tsuna asked, grinning at him as he tried again, hand faster and the movement sharper this time, getting him within millimeters of snatching the mug, but still failing.

"Of course," Reborn replied, nodding sagely. "If you're going to become the kind of boss I would want to follow, you still have a long way to go." He did, however, relent and offer Tsuna his espresso, clearly feeling magnanimous now that the task of breaking the bad news to Nana was over with.

"It's strange," Tsuna mused, taking a slow sip before handing it back to him, "they always talk about opening a new chapter of your life on television and in books, but that's kind of what this feels like. One door is closing but another's opening. Only the door isn't really closed. It's not like I can't visit Mom any time I want to. I just can't live here anymore to protect the people I love."

"One of the hardest things you'll have to learn to do, Tsuna, is to isolate yourself at times. You're never going to be the first line of defense, or the first person heading into battle for your Family. You're the Vongola's big gun, our nuclear weapon, our weapon of last resort. Most of your time is going to be spent sending the people you care about into dangerous situations and praying that they come home safely." Reborn looked sad for a long moment as he sipped at his espresso. "Your battles, for the most part, will be fought from behind a desk, unless the situation is so dangerous there's no other option. Of all of us, you'll have the hardest job, because you'll be the one left behind to worry."

"It's hard enough now," Tsuna said, head tilting until his cheek rested on the back of Reborn's chair. "Sending the Varia out to capture or kill was hard, and I know how close to invulnerable they are. It's going to be awful, sending out my friends."

"You'll learn over time," Reborn replied, taking his hat off and setting it aside, then watching in amusement as Leon crawled first through his hair and then made his way up to explore Tsuna's. "You'll learn to evaluate a situation and decide who to send, and how to prepare them. You'll see what needs to be done and what risks you can afford to take. I'll make sure of that."

"As much as I'm already a part of the mafia world, it all still seems so distant in some ways," Tsuna mused, reaching a hand up to rub Leon's head gently. "Not the big, dramatic parts, obviously, but the day to day operations, the more practical parts of it."

"Don't worry, Tsuna, I'll make sure you understand it when the time comes, even if I have to beat it into your skull." It was nice to see Reborn back in a teasing mood, and Tsuna couldn't help but grin at the taunt. Then Reborn mellowed slightly and looked at him directly. "I'll be by your side through all of it, Tsuna, but I can't make the decisions for you. I can give you advice, and explain the risks, but you're the boss. The decisions are yours to make."

"Thank you," Tsuna said, grin gentling into a smile.

It wouldn't be easy, but things were already painfully hard in many ways. Some part of him believed that with Reborn there to teach him, he could actually learn to do this, and do it well. That meant he could eventually protect the people he loved the most by being what they needed the most. A leader who loved them for who they were, let them use their talents to the absolute limit while always encouraging them to grow, who always gave them a home to return to.

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*Title translates to "between hope and fear".


	2. Chapter I: Graviora manent

**Chapter I: Graviora manent (Sawada Household / Namimori / Present Day)**

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**You didn't think I'd abandoned this, did you? Just because the KHRfest distracted me a bit doesn't mean I'd ever abandon my love child with Ai-chan! Thanks again go to thi_hoai for beta reading! She's my hero as always. Chapters will start again regularly now, so please enjoy them!

In this chapter, you're getting a few hints of the future while Tsuna gears up to move forward in life a little bit more. Enjoy!

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A few days after his talk with his mother, Tsuna found himself sprawled on the floor of his room, having lost the first round of his tug-of-war with Lambo over his game console. He hadd known Lambo would take it badly when he'd told everyone about the impending move, but he was honestly surprised at how badly Lambo was taking it. In the past three days, the boy had unpacked every box Tsuna tried to pack, hidden some of his more important possessions and fought him almost desperately for every item in the house they used together or had shared at any point in time.

Lambo had done all of this silently, absolutely refusing to speak a word to Tsuna, settling for directing hurt and betrayed looks at him instead. This surprised Tsuna, because Lambo had for the most part outgrown the crybaby petulant habits of his younger years. It was the first time he'd really realized how sensitive the boy's heart really was. That was why, rather than giving up the fight, Tsuna dove back into it, tugging relentlessly. He realized that this was the only way Lambo could find to spend time with him without giving approval for the move.

Tsuna also knew that trying to tug the ten-year-bazooka away from an upset Lambo was always a dangerous idea. It never ended well, and especially for Tsuna, and it had been particularly traumatic the last time he'd tried it. Of course, he'd never thought Lambo would bring it out over a game console controller. So when it went off in his face, he went down the flashy tunnel to the future swearing and pissed, mostly at himself. It wasn't that he didn't want to see what the future was like, now that he'd started changing things in the current time, but that fear of what he'd seen before still remained.

When he landed hard in a chair and his chin thumped on something solid, he swore again before straightening up and rubbing at his aching chin. Looking around, he saw an entire group of men looking back at him. All of them were familiar, if a little older. He blinked at them curiously and they blinked right back. Tsuna, remembering his recent experiences with various members of his Family from the future decided that laying down the law now was the best idea.

"You all just stay on that side of the desk, and no one gets hurt," he warned them, crossing his arms grumpily. "There'll be no molesting, touching, fondling, groping or otherwise playing with the cute young Sawada Tsunayoshi, are we clear?"

They blinked at him again and then as a group started laughing. Tsuna supposed it was a good thing that his future office had so much furniture in it, because as they fell down, clutching their sides, they all landed on something padded instead of the floor. He'd have felt kind of bad if they'd hurt themselves laughing at him.

"Fucking perverts," he muttered, leaning back in the chair to watch them. "Like being a teenager isn't confusing enough, what with all the mafia stuff and high school." He paused, a horrified thought crossing his mind. "I have a test tomorrow, and I was wasting time fighting with Lambo!" He flailed, trying to figure out a way to get himself back to when he needed to be. "If I fail, Reborn's going to kill me. I'm too young to die!"

He pointed at Lambo accusingly. "This is your fault. I want to know where the hell you hide that fucking thing so I can take it away from you and slag it."

"Tsuna-nii," Lambo started, holding up his hands innocently. "I was nine! How can you hold that against me?"

"I'll do whatever I want, dammit," Tsuna grumbled, slouching. "You're not the one who's going to be trained until he dies just for failing a math test. I bet he won't even wait until I can retake it before punishing me. It's bad enough that I missed most of the week last week."

"He's right," The dark, deep voice came from behind his chair, and Tsuna found himself wondering how quickly he could make it over the desk and out of the room if he ran for it. "I probably will. He let himself get hit with that stupid cow's toy, after all."

Tsuna counted two windows and at least one door. That left him with at least three ways to flee the room if he was fast enough. Painfully slowly, he slid his hands into his pockets in search of his gloves. A little extra speed never hurt anyone, and he was not about to let them do anything inappropriate to him here, knowing he'd probably reappear in front of a child, or worse, his mother.

"It's kind of nice, seeing you all like this," he said, trying to buy some time. "I mean, all together, and adult and all." His fingers slid into the gloves slowly. "I'm sorry I interrupted your meeting, though. I hope it wasn't urgent?" He'd suffer with guilt if he caused his Family too much trouble.

"Nothing important, boss," Hayato told him, grinning at him from the sofa to the left of his desk. "We were just setting schedules for the month. Reborn-san just got back into town a couple of days ago, so this is our first meeting since then. You vanished for a couple of days when he got back."

Tsuna flushed a dark, deep red at the thought of why Reborn returning meant that the older Tsuna had vanished. He glanced at all of them again, hoping they wouldn't feel the need to give him any sort of details. He was sure his brain couldn't handle it. It was as he was looking at them that something caught his attention and his mind refocused, looking at each of them more intently now. His eyes widened and then he spun his chair around to look at Reborn just as intently.

Reborn was leaning against the wall behind his chair with a casual laziness that spoke of years of taking that same position in meeting after meeting. There was something both dangerous and reassuring at the same time about it, but that wasn't what had caught Tsuna's attention. He pulled his hands out of his pockets to avoid setting his pants on fire when his will flared, flame sparking on his forehead and hands and his intuition kicked into overdrive, his eyes focusing more intently now.

Giving Reborn a thorough once-over, he turned back to the others again and stood, prowling over to them thoughtfully, looking at each of them with hyper-focused eyes. They all blinked back at him nervously, obviously confused about his intensity. Tsuna stopped in front of Lambo for a little longer before nodding to himself. Then his eyes scanned the walls, looking for pictures. He found them easily and moved over to stare at one of his Family standing together in front of the estate and his eyes narrowed slightly before he nodded to himself, more pieces falling into place.

"Tsuna," Reborn said softly from behind him, a strong hand landing on his shoulder. "Don't overdo it. You're throwing them off."

He blinked and turned to look at his Guardians again, only to find some of them staring at him with wide eyes while others were looking at him with dangerous interest. Shaking his head, he calmed himself and tucked his gloves back into his pocket. He'd found the key he'd needed to one of his puzzles, although he didn't fully understand it yet.

"Sorry," he offered, blushing a little. "Something just caught my attention that I hadn't noticed before."

He could see that they were catching on, as their gazes sharpened and they turned to look at each other thoughtfully before standing as a group. It became obvious that they weren't going to tell him anything as they nodded at him and all retreated, leaving him with Reborn and closing the door securely behind them. Tsuna sighed in frustration.

"Calm down, Tsuna," Reborn told him, settling himself in an elegant sprawl on the sofa that had been vacated. "Come here." He held out his hand in invitation.

Grumbling under his breath and blushing at the same time, Tsuna moved closer, only to find himself pulled down onto the sofa between Reborn's legs. Embarrassed at his situation, he started to pull back, only to have Reborn's arms wrap around him and tug him closer, pinning him down against Reborn's chest.

"You're trying to distract me again, Reborn," Tsuna accused him quietly, pace pressed into against his neck slightly. "Just like the last time, when you came to the past. You're trying to avoid telling me anything."

"I have to follow the orders my boss gave me, Tsuna," Reborn replied, nuzzling along his jaw and down his neck, breathing his scent in. "It helps that you're so cute when you're still so innocent. The you of my time doesn't blush nearly as often as you do. I really have to work hard to make it happen, and then I get hit."

"I think you're dodging the issue here, Reborn." Tsuna tried to squirm upright, only to turn bright red as his wriggling over Reborn caused what most would consider a natural reaction for both of them. Whimpering, he sank back down and hid his face against Reborn's shoulder. "This is so fucking embarrassing."

Reborn simply chuckled and tightened his grip, holding him close. "I can't tell you what you want to know, Tsuna. There are things you still need to do to get to the answer, and if you skip those steps, you'll lose things and people that are precious to you. Everything will happen in its own time. The you of my time is working hard to be sure of that, just as hard as you are in the past."

Tsuna was about to argue when a soft sound from behind the far couch caught his attention and he sat up, pushing Reborn away in his curiosity. He was surprised when Reborn let him go so easily this time, and he slid off his lap and moved over to look, expecting to find maybe a pet of some sort. The small, portable cradle behind the couch shocked him past words. The two small, sleeping forms in it surprised him even more.

"Ah," Reborn said from behind him, looking over his shoulder. "I was hoping you might miss them entirely. That's why they're still here, instead of being carried out when the others left. They're usually dead asleep this time of day."

"Reborn," Tsuna began, turning to look at him with a sheet-white face and wide eyes, "those are babies."

"It's good to know all that schooling hasn't gone to waste, Tsuna," Reborn teased gently, smirking at him. "Yes, they are. Human babies, even."

A horrid, terrifying thought looped through Tsuna's head for a long moment and the words tumbled out of his mouth before he could stop them. "There's no way you're making me into a woman and making me have babies. I forbid it! No way, Reborn!!"

"They're not ours, Tsuna," Reborn chuckled, highly amused now. "Verde can do a lot with science, but he hasn't managed to impregnate men yet. Not that you'd ever let me do that to you anyway, no matter how cute you'd look."

Tsuna slumped slightly in relief and blushed a bit, embarrassed again at being anything but calm and cool in the face of the Reborn he'd obviously been in a long and loving relationship with. "Then who do they belong to, Reborn?"

Leaning closer to look at them, it became obvious that one was a girl and the other a boy. Neither looked anything like the other, which surprised him. He glanced back up at Reborn, eye shining with interest.

"Are they related?" he asked, curious now. "They don't look alike."

"They aren't," Reborn answered, settling on the back of the couch and reaching into the crib to scoop the girl up gently. "But they were born within days of each other. Let's see if this helps you figure it out any." He tugged the baby cap off of her head carefully, not wanting to wake her, and fluffed her little silver curls gently.

"Hayato," Tsuna wheezed, his eyes wide at the sight of those adorable curls. "Hayato has a daughter ten years from now… I mean then… how?" He glanced up at Reborn in confusion. "I mean, I know I tend to lean towards men more than Hayato, but he's not attached to any woman that completely. Was it an accident?"

"Not at all," Reborn rocked the baby gently in a way that had Tsuna wondering how often the babies took their afternoon nap in his office. "Isabella here was very well planned. Hayato and his partner were the first to go for it, but I had to nag excessively to get anyone moving on the idea. The Vongola need a future generation, whether they become mafia or not, because having someone to protect makes the Family stronger."

"So you mean that Hayato and Takeshi…" Tsuna's voice trailed off at the sad look in Reborn's eyes. "Not Takeshi then?"

"Not Takeshi," Reborn agreed quietly, "although both are very happy right now. Things became difficult between them and they had to step away from each other more completely. It was for the best, but it was hard on everyone."

"You won't tell me who Hayato had a baby with?" Tsuna asked, curious.

"I won't, but only because it was your choices that brought them fully together in the end by bringing him home to help Hayato, and I don't want to influence that. He's happy, very happy, and that's what matters." Reborn smiled, relaxing again.

"But Reborn that still doesn't tell me how two men can have a baby," Tsuna frowned at him.

"The Cervello have been making up for their sins. A few years ago, they approached me with the idea of acting as surrogates for various Family members. After all, they have many women, and a huge rift with the Vongola to heal. It was their offer of absolute loyalty." Reborn put the girl's cap back on and set her back in the crib. "So these two are the result of fertility procedures."

Glancing down in the crib, Tsuna focused on the other child. "So Hayato's daughter, and who is this little guy, Reborn?"

"Ah, this one's a bit of a surprise," Reborn chuckled and scooped him up carefully. "But he's a darling." With a careful move, he slid the little cap off, exposing thick, blue hair. "He's always such a good boy."

Staring down at the blue hair, Tsuna's mind spun wildly. "Chrome?"

Reborn chuckled at him. "Guess again."

"No way, Reborn," Tsuna stared again, eyes getting wider and wider. "That's just… Mukuro?!"

"He looks just like his father, doesn't he?" Reborn rocked the boy gently. "Little Akira here took most of us by surprise, but Mukuro's always done exactly what he wants, hasn't he?"

"That's not the point here, Reborn," Tsuna stared at him like he was insane. "That's a baby you're holding. Mukuro's baby!"

"Of course I'm holding him, Tsuna," Reborn kissed the top of the boy's head. "I'm his godfather, after all. It's my duty to look after him."

Clearly he'd gone into some weird alternate future, Tsuna decided, because none of this was making any sense at all. The last time he'd gone into the future, the Vongola were being hunted. This was a strangely different future altogether.

"You're thinking too much again, Tsuna," Reborn chuckled at the look on his face. "Ten years is a long time. You have a long way to go to get to this point. All of you do."

Tsuna was pondering that thoughtfully, getting at what Reborn was trying to tell him, when there was a knock at the door. Before either of them could speak, the door opened quietly and Takeshi leaned in, smiling cheerfully at them both. Realizing he wasn't interrupting anything terribly embarrassing, he stepped in fully.

"Sorry Tsuna, Reborn, I forgot to pick up this little guy on my way out," he said cheerfully, moving over to steal the boy from Reborn's arms. "I'd be in real trouble if I made it home without him."

"You'd better hurry then, Takeshi," Reborn replied, amusement gleaming in his eyes.

"I will," Takeshi answered cheerfully, handling the baby like a professional as he leaned down to pick up a blue bag from the floor as well. "It was nice seeing the younger you, Tsuna! Take good care of us in the past!" With that, the other man was out the door, pulling it closed behind him.

Waving a vague farewell to the door, Tsuna stared with his mouth gaping open. "Reborn, that was Takeshi."

"Did you hit your head on your way here, Tsuna?" Reborn asked, looking a little concerned now. "I wasn't there to see you get hit with the bazooka, so I don't know."

Ignoring the question, Tsuna focused on the problem at hand. "Why is Takeshi picking up Mukuro's baby and going home, Reborn?"

"Well," Reborn glanced down at his watch and then back up to Tsuna, "that's kind of a complicated question, Tsuna. I'm not sure it's really my place to discuss that with you." He stood, making his way back over to him, and gently closed Tsuna's mouth. "You'll be gone again soon."

"Already?" Tsuna looked up at him then, distracted from his train of thought. "But I wanted to ask you a lot of things, Reborn, as long as I'm here."

"It's better this way, Tsuna," Reborn told him, leaning in to drop a soft kiss on his mouth. "You're doing just fine. Everything you need to know will come to you at the right time, and I'll be right there by your side the entire time."

"You promise?" Tsuna knew it sounded childish and desperate, but he didn't care as he wrapped himself around Reborn tightly.

"I promise," Reborn replied, holding him close and resting his chin on Tsuna's head. "You won't have another day in this life without knowing exactly where I am, and how I am. I promise."

Soothed, Tsuna gave up on asking questions for now. He'd gained a lot with this accidental visit, and he had a lot of things to discuss with Verde when he returned to his own time. So for now, he decided it was better to just enjoy the warm, strong arms holding him and breathe in that dark, dangerous scent that always gave him so much comfort, even when it came from a form that barely reached his knees.

When the soft poof of smoke came, Tsuna trembled slightly as the arms around him vanished and he fell to the floor of his room again. Sitting up and rubbing the back of his head, which had smacked into the side of his bed, he noticed Reborn sitting in his chair by the window, drinking coffee serenely. For some reason, the sight soothed him again and the hurt, anger and frustration of losing those arms around him faded into something tolerable.

"Did you see something interesting, Tsuna?" Reborn asked him, smiling slightly. "The future you seemed pretty amused to find himself here, and seemed to think you'd find your visit helpful."

"I did, actually," Tsuna said, moving over to settle next to him on the floor, resting his cheek against the back of Reborn's chair, wanting that scent again. "I think I found clues. Good ones. I'll need to talk to Verde soon, and give him what I found." He paused, and then smiled slightly. "And then there were the babies."

Reborn's curious look got him talking, and he spent the rest of the afternoon telling him about what he'd seen in the future, much to Reborn's amusement. Both agreed they'd keep the knowledge to themselves, however. Reborn had been clear that while there'd been pain for Takeshi and Hayato, both were happy now, and that was all that mattered in the end to Tsuna. He would simply do as Takeshi had said, and keep taking good care of all of his friends in the meantime.

* * *

*Title translates to "heavier things remain".


	3. Chapter II: Credo quia absurdum est

**Chapter II: Credo quia absurdum est (Vongola Offices / Namimori / Present Day)**

**A/N:** People have asked why things are moving more slowly now with new chapters, and the reason is simply that I wrote a large chunk of _Vivi memor leti_, and thus resolved the logic and flow of it, before I ever started posting it. I have a good healthy distance into _Ex umbra in solem_, but because I'm not as far in (100,000 words or more) I'm slower about finalizing chapters, because I want all my facts in order. Still, I promise, I'm not dropping this baby anytime soon. I have it roughed out through the end, and the start of the next story arc!

I can never thank thi_hoai enough for beta-reading for me, and Ai-chan is always an endless source of inspiration and encouragement for me! This is Ai-chan's birthday chapter! So please wish her a happy birthday if you take the time to comment!!

* * *

The morning following his trip to the future, Tsuna made his way to his office painfully early, reaching it before the sun was up. His snapshot moment of the future had triggered a swirl of ideas in his mind and they'd haunted him all night, blending with the nightmares that still plagued him. Finally giving up on trying to fall asleep at around four in the morning, he'd apologetically woken Basil and Lal, asking them to escort him to the office, knowing they could sleep just as easily there, while he was at least productive.

Reborn had offered to go with him, but Tsuna told him to sleep, knowing how hard it was to keep up with them in a baby's body. They'd meet up at school instead, he told him, well aware that his stubborn tutor was just agreeing with him so that he could follow him silently later. If there was one thing Tsuna was aware of, it was that no matter where he was, Reborn wasn't far away these days, especially not after the attempt to kill him.

After settling his bodyguards on the couches in the front room of his office and being swatted away for trying to tuck them in, Tsuna locked himself in his office, engaging the soundproofing at the same time. He knew what he wanted to do next, but the breadth of it terrified him a little. He'd kept all of this a secret for so long, not wanting to burden anyone else. Even allowing Mukuro to see what Tsuna knew had left him feeling dirty and exposed, as if he'd damaged his Guardian in some attempt to soothe his own pain.

Sighing softly and shoving the emotions away for now, he slid a DVD-R into his laptop and set it up to record before settling the headset with microphone onto his head. Normally, he used this gear when talking over their secure connection to people at the Vongola headquarters in Italy, but this time he was setting himself up for a far more personal conversation that was going to be very one-sided. Taking a deep breath and a long swig of water, he focused his mind completely and hit the record button. Then he started to speak and he didn't stop for hours.

He poured the truth of the future he'd seen into his words, describing everything he remembered in intimate, exquisite detail, not wanting to leave anything out. It hurt, and he was sure the slight wobble in his voice gave that pain away, especially when he had to relay the death and resurrection of the Arcobaleno, the fear he'd felt after watching Dino and Squalo practically commit suicide just to give them enough time to escape the base, the relief he'd felt as his Family had reassembled during the final fight with Byakuran. There were tears in his eyes when he spilled the truth about his first kill, and how horrified he'd been at his own power at that moment.

Next he detailed the actions he'd taken so far: his discussion with the Ninth, the capture of Verde, even the start of the assassinations he felt were necessary to create the kind of obstacles that would allow him to catch up with Byakuran before he got too far ahead. Tsuna covered everything he was planning and attempting to give them the lead they needed to avoid that future. Finally his voice went hoarse and rough, and he wound to a close, eventually turning the record function off.

Shouichi had taught him how to move files out to the DVD-R, and he moved the audio file immediately before deleting it from his laptop. There was no way he was leaving that sort of evidence around for Reborn to find, and he was well aware that Reborn kept a painfully close eye on what he was doing these days. Then he copied all of the relevant data and information that he and Shouichi had collected over the past year or so, organizing it as best as he could. Finally he used the function Shouichi had created that allowed him to secure the DVD-R to allow access only to his intended audience, before sighing in relief and popping it out.

Slipping the disc into a protective sleeve, he tucked it into his book bag and finally leaned back, somehow feeling the tension of earlier fade with every beat of his heart. He felt it as his body slumped slightly in the chair, and he found himself smiling slightly. There were a lot of times when making a decision like this left him overwhelmed, tense, even terrified. This time, however, there was a sense of having performed a task and having done it well.

Pulling himself out of his chair, he moved to unlock and open his door, not the least bit surprised to find Reborn sitting in the outer room sipping his coffee and reading the morning paper. Smiling, he waved slightly, inviting him into the office silently. He was beyond pleased when Reborn hopped down from his chair and made his way in comfortably, without a hint of irritation. Closing the door behind them, he sighed, body relaxing even further.

"I had a feeling you wouldn't stay home," he said, settling behind his desk again and smiling at Reborn. "But I did hope you'd sleep a little longer. I was good and took my bodyguards with me like I'm supposed to." He pulled his panic button out of his pocket to show it to his tutor. "See? I'm following all the rules you gave me."

"I just didn't feel like having breakfast with everyone else," Reborn replied, folding his paper and setting it on the desk as he hopped up into the chair across from Tsuna. "So I came to keep you from getting too lonely without me."

"This wouldn't have anything to do with Bianchi returning today, would it, Reborn?" Tsuna asked, curious now.

He'd gotten an email confirming her departure late last night, and when he'd told Reborn he'd noticed a shuttered, dark look in those expressive black eyes. Personally, Tsuna felt that the work he'd done in Venice to introduce her to Lancia might have worked the way he'd hoped, but only time would tell. Either way, he was moving into the apartment below these offices over the weekend, and Reborn would be going with him. There was no way Bianchi would be able to maintain her stranglehold on Reborn in that situation, which pleased Tsuna immensely. He loved Bianchi like a sister, but he loved Reborn more.

"Don't be silly, Tsuna," Reborn told him, giving no sign of any emotion towards that particular situation. "We have more important things to worry about than that."

"Xanxus will be leaving when the jet arrives, I'm sure," Tsuna said thoughtfully, leaning back in his chair. "He's been itching to get out of here for the past day or so."

That got a reaction, unlike Bianchi, which Tsuna found interesting. "Are you going to see him off? I'm sure he'd enjoy that."

"I am going to see him off," Tsuna replied, watching Reborn warily. It was obvious that Xanxus was a dangerous topic with Reborn these days, and there wasn't anything Tsuna could do to make it any easier. "He's done me an enormous favor, Reborn, and it's not fair to punish him for being kind."

Reborn frowned slightly, but clearly couldn't find a way to argue with Tsuna over his decision. "I suppose you're right, but I don't like it. He's too smug over all of this now. Just look at the way he looks at you."

"I think you're imagining it, Reborn," Tsuna offered demurely. He knew exactly what Reborn was talking about but he wasn't about to give him any sort of reason to actually shoot the man he'd need to wield as one of his most dangerous weapons in the next few months. "Besides, he's going home. We have more important things to do this morning than worry about that."

That got Reborn's attention again and Tsuna smiled at him before flipping his laptop open again and starting the process to connect a web call to Venice, dialing directly into Verde's lab. "You're going to want to come to this side of the desk for this call, Reborn. I have hope now."

"Hope?" Reborn hopped up on the desk and walked across it, settling in front of Tsuna on the desk, facing the webcam. "What are you talking about?"

"Yes, Sawada, what are you talking about?" a grouchy voice interrupted them and Verde appeared on the screen, looking tired. "Don't you have anything better to do than harass your prisoners?"

"Prisoner is an ugly word, Verde," Tsuna replied, sighing softly, "although probably honest. I was hoping the salary at least might improve your mood about it a little."

"There's not a lot that can improve one's mood over having an explosive device strapped to one's leg," Verde grumbled. "But I'm sure that's not why you're bothering me."

"That's true," Tsuna answered, getting down to business. "Lambo hit me with his ten-year bazooka yesterday and there were some things I saw in the future that I think are important to solving the problem of the Arcobaleno curse. I thought you'd want to know right away."

Both Reborn and Verde perked up and focused intently on Tsuna at that. While Tsuna had told Reborn about the babies and many other things, there were parts he'd chosen to leave out until now. He'd needed to leave it to sit in the back of his head and stew for a while.

"Verde, I'm wondering why ten years from now my Guardians, all of whom are my age or older, look like they couldn't even be twenty years old? They should be in their mid-twenties, getting close to thirty, some of them. But not one of them looked much older than they do now, maybe a year or two. That's not all of it, either. Dino wasn't any older than he is now, and Xanxus actually looked younger. So did Squalo. Lambo looked like he was maybe fifteen," Tsuna frowned at the thought, remembering what the future Kyoya told him about what he got up to with Lambo. "And when I looked at the pictures on the wall, I saw both of you as well, in adult bodies."

He looked at Reborn thoughtfully. "When I was shot and Reborn poured all of that power into me to heal me, I saw his adult body. Believe me when I say there wasn't a detail I missed when I saw him, because it was so surprising. But the Reborn in the future looked like he wasn't that much older than my Guardians. He definitely looks younger than the Reborn I saw when I was shot. Years younger."

"You're sure, Tsuna?" Reborn mirrored Tsuna's gaze, his expression equally thoughtful. "I just thought maybe you'd kept your baby face when I saw you in the future. After all, it is pretty cute." He reached out and pinched Tsuna's cheek fondly.

"Keep your perverted sex life off of my monitor," Verde snarled at them nastily, but he also looked thoughtful. "You've given me more to think about than you realize, Sawada. I'll be in contact." With that, the monitor went blank again, and Tsuna reached out to close the connection on his end and shut down his laptop.

"You didn't mention this earlier," Reborn said, looking at Tsuna curiously.

"I had to wrap my head around it," Tsuna replied, reaching out to lift Reborn onto his shoulder, grabbing his book bag from the floor. "Do you really think it might help us find an answer, Reborn? I mean, it's obvious we do, but the future you is a really stubborn jerk about not telling me anything about this."

"Verde seemed to think so," Reborn answered, settling in for the ride to school comfortably. "It's good to know that keeping that baby face of yours might not be entirely genetics," he teased gently, earning himself a long-suffering huff from Tsuna.

"I'd like to point out that whatever baby face I do have in the future, you're really fond of it, Reborn," Tsuna told him, taking his time to enjoy the cool early fall morning as he walked.

"That's probably true. I have an unnatural fondness for cute things," Reborn told him philosophically, before tugging sharply on Tsuna's hair and pointing at the convenience store. "Feed me."

A purchased breakfast later, Tsuna was settled in his classroom with the disc he'd recorded burning a hole in his bag and Reborn had wandered off to one of his many hideouts, most likely to have a nap. Exhausted, Tsuna slipped out of his classroom again before lunch, claiming illness and retreating to the roof. He'd gotten a lot done already, but the combination of business and school was draining these days. Deciding to catch a nap, he tucked his bag under his head and sprawled out on the roof, sighing.

"You're turning into a delinquent," Kyoya said, peering down at him from the water tower above him. "I'm only willing to allow you so much leniency before I'm forced to discipline you."

Smiling, Tsuna looked up at him with sleepy eyes. "I should have known you'd be up here. Maybe I did know, actually. I always seem to find you when things get to be too overwhelming."

Hopping down, Kyoya joined him, settling next to him on the roof. "I don't care about your emotional issues, Tsunayoshi, and don't want to hear about them."

"I don't really feel like talking, Kyoya," Tsuna told him as he reached out with a determined hand and pulled him close, catching him with the unexpected gesture, and pulled him into a kiss, needing to wipe the pain of his morning confessional out of his soul for the moment.

Luckily for Tsuna, Kyoya was apparently feeling agreeable, or maybe just feeling the swell of his hormones, because he returned the kiss with a soft growl. In less than a minute, they transitioned from a clumsy kiss to something hot, slick and urgent. Tsuna groaned softly as their tongues slid together and apart and Kyoya gradually leaned into him, body pressing him down onto the cement. When Kyoya finally pulled back, Tsuna couldn't resist a soft whimper.

"You let that irritating, loud man touch you," Kyoya commented, his breathing slightly irregular. "Rokudo Mukuro made a point of telling me that you gave yourself to him, let him have you."

"The hell?" Tsuna glared at the sky for a long moment while wondering if he could actually beat Mukuro to death, before realizing he was also blushing bright red. "Yeah, I suppose it's true. I had sex with Xanxus."

Kyoya looked at him thoughtfully for a long moment. "You better not have fleas."

With that, he leaned in and kissed Tsuna again, and Tsuna's brain did a slow melt, forgetting what he was embarrassed about in the first place. After all, he'd done what he'd done with Xanxus so that he could share things like this with his friends and give them what they needed from him, without having them brawl constantly with each other. For Kyoya, it was the need for a human connection without having to admit anything of the sort. So Tsuna couched it in terms of hormones, arousal and the occasional nap together.

For now, he was happy enough to lose himself in the storm of hot hands, wet mouths and urgent movement. He didn't think twice about fumbling Kyoya's pants open and sliding his hand inside, wrapping around him tightly and stroking. Kyoya's rough growl mixed with flushed cheeks made Tsuna realize that aside from Kyoya's jaunt to the future, this was quite possibly his first time being touched like this, and so he focused more on the experience, pushing his own urgent need away.

"You feel good," Tsuna muttered, and nudged Kyoya with his other arm, pushing him back onto his ass, before settling between his legs, hand still stroking tightly. "I want to taste you."

Leaning forward, he took Kyoya into his mouth, tongue sliding down over the hard heat of him, putting his practice to good use. He was eager to please, wanting to see Kyoya's face as that outer shell fractured. There was something instinctive in Tsuna that told him he could make that happen, force that wall down, even if it was only for a moment.

It didn't hurt that he found he loved the taste of Kyoya on his tongue, and smooth slickness of his skin added something wicked to the realization that he was going down on the most dangerous person in his high school while on the roof of said school. Of course when Kyoya fisted a hand in his hair and thrust up against his mouth, it helped even more. The low, wicked keening sound the other teen was trying to suppress went straight to Tsuna's cock, leaving him hard and aching.

It wasn't long after that when Kyoya pulled Tsuna's mouth onto his cock as far as he could manage and spilled into him, crying out softly. Tsuna wrinkled his nose slightly at the taste but swallowed him down anyway. Some part of him knew that any sign of rejection on his part might damage his Guardian in ways Tsuna couldn't understand right now. So he did what he could, and accepted all of it, licking his way off of Kyoya when he was done.

Kyoya made no move to return the favor, but to be honest, Tsuna hadn't expected him to. Kyoya was Kyoya, after all. It would take more than a few intimate moments to make him take someone else's needs into consideration over his own. He was pleased enough that rather than bolting afterwards, or attacking, Kyoya simply cleaned himself up and sprawled out with him on the roof, dozing off into a nap, using Tsuna's stomach as a pillow.

As he dozed with Kyoya, Tsuna wondered what his bodyguards thought of his lifestyle, before deciding it really didn't matter in the end. He'd wasted so much of his life worrying about what people thought about him, and that mindset had almost cost him everything he loved. So he'd stop caring, and focus instead on looking after the people who'd agreed to stand by his side instead. Content with that, he napped with Kyoya on the roof until the bell rang and they both sat up.

"I'm moving this weekend," Tsuna told him as he gathered up his bag to go, "into an apartment under the office."

"And?" Kyoya looked at him with a bland, blank look that told Tsuna he'd retreated fully behind his walls again.

"You should come by and visit. It's just Reborn and me living there. It'd be nice." With that, Tsuna smiled at him and headed down, gathering Reborn along the way from his hideout on the third floor.

"Where are we going now, Tsuna?" Reborn asked curiously, still sleepy and yawning from his own afternoon nap.

"The airport," Tsuna replied. "You need to meet Bianchi, and I need to give Xanxus something and thank him again." His mind drifted to the disc in his bag again, hoping he was making the right choice in all of this. "I don't want to be there when you talk with Bianchi." The truth was, he didn't want to see Bianchi cling to Reborn, acting like she had the right to touch him any which way she pleased.

"It bothers you that much, Tsuna?" Reborn asked, glancing at him from under the brim of his hat while making himself comfortable on Tsuna's shoulder.

"It makes me want to punch walls," Tsuna told him as they got into the car with Basil at the wheel. "I honestly don't know, Reborn, how you can be so understanding and giving, when it drives me so completely insane."

"The difference," Reborn replied as he hopped down to settle in Tsuna's lap, "is that they just want to be near you, close to you, for their own various reasons. They don't want you in a long-term, life partner sort of way. Bianchi, on the other hand, has been extremely attached to me since she was in kindergarten. I indulged her because her family life was hard, but it's time to put an end to it, I suppose." What went unsaid was that he was clearly unwilling to continue something that bothered Tsuna so much, a dramatic shift in their relationship from the early years, where Reborn enjoyed provoking reactions like that in Tsuna.

"Thank you, Reborn." Tsuna wrapped an arm around him, holding him closer. "It means a lot to me."

Reborn didn't reply, clearly not feeling the need to. He did, however, relax into Tsuna's hold, leaning back against his chest almost as if it were natural. That reassured Tsuna more than any words would have, and the two enjoyed a quiet ride to the airport together, basking quietly in the shared company.

* * *

*Title translates to "I believe it because it is absurd".


	4. Chapter III: Excusatio non petita

**Chapter III: Excusatio non petita, accusatio manifesta (Vongola Offices / Namimori / Current Day)**

* * *

**A/N:** I got to spend ten lovely days at Disneyworld in Orlando, FL but I'm home now! Sadly at the end of June I'll be away for another week on a cruise. It's the vacation time of year, right? I'll try to get as much done on this as I can during all of that!

Thanks to Ai-chan and thi_haoi for inspiration and beta-reading, as always!

* * *

Mornings weren't exactly Xanxus' favorite time of day. If asked, he'd choose late evening when the Varia estate was quiet, after all the irritating bastards who worked for him were asleep and he could wander the property quietly with a drink for as long as he wanted, completely uninterrupted. Mornings meant there would be work that needed to be done, and often the kind that he was the least interested in doing. It wasn't that Xanxus thrived on violence so much as he preferred it to paperwork, meetings, and human interaction in general. Killing was a lot easier than remembering why he should be listening to the person who was trying to talk to him at any given moment.

Still, there were some things that were better done early. On a weekday, Xanxus was well aware that Sawada Tsunayoshi should be on his way to school, which made it an excellent time to do a final raid for information on the boy's office. There were boundaries in the everyday world that most people understood and respected, but Xanxus had grown up in the mafia. Privacy for someone you considered weak was not amongst those boundaries he chose to respect. Until the boy could get through a year and not almost die during an assassination attempt, he had no right to privacy as far as Xanxus was concerned.

Finding that the office was occupied was an unexpected annoyance, and he had to move carefully to avoid being detected by the boy's babysitters as he pulled back silently. Being someone who failed to accomplish real sleep beyond a light doze on a consistent basis, it didn't surprise him that the brat might have a day every now and then when sleep failed him. What frustrated him was having it happen on the one day he was short on time and disinclined to drowse nearby while waiting for his chance.

Disinterested in whatever had forced the irritating shrimp out of bed so early in the morning, Xanxus lurked silently on the rooftop of the Vongola office in Namimori. He kept to the shadows until the ridiculous brat left for school with his protective detail before making his way into the office and disarming the alarm system. There were a few final details he wanted to clear up before returning to Venice and washing his hands of the Vongola heir once again.

"This place stinks of emotion, boss," the soft, petulant voice came from behind his left shoulder, and the air blurred as Viper appeared, floating next to him. Glancing over at the Arcobaleno, Xanxus raised an eyebrow in silent inquiry. "It's astonishing how excitable the Sawada boy really is. What's more interesting is that I sense Reborn's emotions as well. Excitement, hope, curiosity, all mixed together and all recent. It's rare for him to lose control enough to leave a trail like that."

"Any sense of what got them so worked up?" Xanxus asked, already opening Tsuna's laptop and attaching the external drive he'd brought. Letting it hack his way into it and see what the brat had been up to, he turned back to Viper. "And don't try to tell me that it's puberty again. They're fucking horny brats, all of them." Grumbling as he realized Sawada had deleted most of what he'd done, he was still pleased to find the record of the call made to the Vongola estate, and he and Viper listened intently as the conversation replayed for them.

"Well, that does explain the swirl of emotion," Viper said, floating down to come to a rest on the desk. "And here I was thinking maybe he'd fallen for you, boss." The Arcobaleno had to move quickly to dodge the lazy blow Xanxus threw at him, chasing him off the desk to float alongside it. "You never know. You showed him a very good time, after all. I thought maybe he was planning his confession. Roses, music, the whole big scene."

"I don't have time for a lovesick puppy following me around," Xanxus replied, before sending the last few documents he needed to distribute and coordinating and sending a blast of notifications to scatter his team around the globe for the next month, giving him some peace and quiet at home. "I have enough of that trouble with the damned rest of you. As much fun as fucking the boy stupid is, it'd be a pain in the ass if he got clingy and needy like the rest of you are."

"From the sound of the conversation, Reborn's already beaten you to Sawada's heart," Viper teased mercilessly as he glanced out the window, keeping watch. "So maybe you had no chance at all, boss. I guess you're just a substitute for what he really wants."

"Don't think I won't kill you just because you're small and purple," Xanxus told him, using the external drive attached to the laptop to plunder any data he felt was relevant for later review when he had more leisure time. "In fact, I'd probably enjoy it." It pissed him off that rather than irritated or angry, his voice sounded weary more than anything else.

"We didn't expect for you to have to work so hard on this trip, boss," Viper said, watching him now. "My apologies. If I'd known what would happen, I would have recommended bringing the others as well."

It was well-known amongst his team that Xanxus slept poorly in general, managing at most to cat-nap throughout the day, and that he slept not at all when traveling, unless he was sure of the team around him. It was a problem that had started after he'd been freed from the icy sleep the Ninth had forced upon him, and it had been an unrelenting issue for the Varia since. Xanxus spent very little time in any sort of deep, restful sleep and it sharpened his temper further every day.

"Are you so fragile these days, Xanxus, that your underlings have to babysit you?" Reborn asked from the doorway, leaning against the wooden frame and watching them both intently from under the brim of his hat. "Maybe it's time for you to retire to the home for old men and spend your days playing card games and whining about your ongoing loss of hearing."

"Watch your mouth, Reborn," Viper snarled at him, flashing with energy for a moment as his temper sharpened. "This is none of your business and you have no right to comment on it. Go back to your babysitting and leave us to do the real work."

"It's my business when you're spying on Tsuna," Reborn retorted, moving into the office now and hopping up on the desk. "I should kill you both for it."

"Just you try it, you rude, irritating bastard!" Viper moved forward to intercept him, only to have his collar snagged by his boss.

Tugging Viper back and setting him by the window again while growling with irritation, Xanxus turned back to Reborn. "You have your orders, annoying midget, and I have mine. Your pet isn't my boss and he may have talked me into doing some of his dirty work, but it's only because I want to get these lazy fuckers out of my way for a while. Don't assume I ever have his best interests at heart."

"The Ninth ordered you to spy on Tsuna?" Reborn frowned at Xanxus and it was clear he wasn't sure he believed it. "Tsuna's been communicating with him regularly."

"The old man ordered me to do what I could to make sure the kid doesn't die before he finishes puberty. It's irritating, but I'll take that over another decade on ice," Xanxus replied. "Of course, if he'd known young Tsunayoshi would be begging me to fuck him so cutely, he might have rethought the ice issue." He smirked then, amused by the sheer irritation and small wave of what was obviously jealousy and possessiveness that flashed across the Arcobaleno's face. "What makes it even funnier is that the brat probably thinks he's sexually abused me. He'll probably apologize, then thank me and then apologize again."

The silent snarl that moved through the air as Reborn glared at Xanxus simply confirmed the truth of what he'd said. Chuckling, Xanxus detached his external drive and tucked it into a pocket before shutting the laptop down again. This assignment might be annoying and enough to drive him to drink, but at least he got to enjoy torturing his father's pet Arcobaleno in the process. That almost made the flight to Japan and home again worthwhile.

"Boss, we have other tasks to handle before we leave this afternoon," Viper reminded him, leaving the window to float towards the door. "I'm sure Reborn can handle resetting the alarm after we leave." He paused in the doorway to wait.

"Yeah," Xanxus pulled himself upright, giving Reborn a last, smug look. "Let's get it all done so we can return the task of tutoring the brat to his keeper. It's unfortunate there are some things he's not man enough to handle right now, but I'm sure if he and the brat hope hard enough, he'll find a few more feet of height under the Christmas tree some year."

"You irritating little bastard," Reborn snarled, and Xanxus shifted slightly to the left to avoid the shot Reborn took at him, chuckling at the new hole in the wall.

"Tutors should be less temperamental," Xanxus informed him as he ducked out the doorway and left the office, still chuckling.

"You should have let me handle him for you, boss," Viper grumbled, floating near his shoulder, invisible to the average eye as they walked away from the building. "He's such an arrogant, self-assured, annoying bastard."

"Got under your skin, did he?" Xanxus asked, amused now. "I thought you'd be happy to finally see him suffer a bit. After all, the impact of your curse is finally hitting him where it really hurts."

He allowed it when the Arcobaleno settled onto his shoulder, finding himself in an unnaturally good mood, having collected what he needed and having had another chance to rub salt in Reborn's emotional wounds. "Look at it this way. He has to spend all day looking at what he really wants right there in front of him, and the most he can do is ask to be carried like an infant. Meanwhile, Tsunayoshi's Guardians are going to be all over him like dogs in heat."

"Boss," Viper's voice went plaintive and soft for once, his own frustration and pain flaring for a long moment. While he enjoyed tormenting Reborn, some of the realities of Reborn's situation hit close to home.

"I swear by all that's holy, puffball, that if you confess to me, I'll bring you home stuffed and mounted to sit on the mantle," Xanxus informed him, glancing over at him out of the corner of his eye. "It's bad enough with the fucking rest of them mooning over me all the damned time."

"Don't worry, boss," Viper replied, amused. "I'm fond of you for unknown and probably unhealthy reasons, but I'm not in love with you." He did, however, settle in more comfortably, taking advantage of the ride. "That doesn't mean I don't understand Reborn's pain in all of this. As much as I like seeing him suffer, I'd rather it be over something else, something less personal, I suppose. Something his own fault, maybe. We may have volunteered for this, but I don't think any of us would have, if we'd known it would turn out to be this sort of hellish half-life."

Xanxus looked at him thoughtfully as he climbed into the waiting limo, nodding at the underling to drive before putting up the privacy partition between the front and back of the vehicle. "I thought you'd gotten over that crush of yours. Something about not wanting to deal with loud, ignorant imbeciles? Don't tell me it's getting worse?"

Viper blushed, the color barely visible under the large hat he used to cover most of his face. "I'd rather not speak about that, boss. It's private, and it's nothing that will ever become reality anyway. Everyone has secret desires. Mine is just less attainable than most."

"That's not necessarily true," Xanxus commented, yawning widely and lounging back against the seat. "You heard that conversation as clearly as I did. You have reason to be hopeful." He paused, frowning. "Although the thought of being any younger than I am pisses me off. There's a certain amount of dignity in being older than those fucking brats."

"You don't really care what they think, do you boss?" Viper looked at him curiously as he floated down to the seat next to Xanxus.

"Not in the least," Xanxus replied, eyes drifting shut slowly. "They're just a bunch of noisy, useless trash right now."

"Go ahead and sleep, boss," Viper murmured, settling in to keep watch over him. "I'll wake you when we get there."

"Good." Xanxus let himself drift into a half-sleep, aware of the world around him but disinterested in participating in it any further at the moment.

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*Title translates to "He who excuses himself, accuses himself".


	5. Chapter IV: Ad meliora

**Chapter IV: Ad meliora (Airport / Namimori / Present Day)**

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**A/N:** As always, a huge thank you to thi_hoai and ai-chan for getting me through this writing process. They are wonderful beta-readers and inspiration for me, and always challenge me to find and add the next plot twist and mystery to the story line.

I know it's been a while since I've updated. I'm sorry about that! It did show me how many people are actually reading this story, however, which made me really happy. I'm so glad people are enjoying it.

This is the last story chapter before I throw a few interlude chapters your way, the first of which is going out to be beta-read today and the second of which I'm polishing up tomorrow before sending it for beta-reading. So they should come quickly.

This was a hard chapter to write and to finish, because there's so much complex emotion within it, wound tightly around a lot of important future plot points. I had to make sure to get the balance right and so I had to sit on it for a while until I got further into what follows it. I hope you enjoy it!

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The airport was, as always, a bustling mass of humanity. Tsuna had a moment of abject gratitude over the fact that the Vongola owned their own hanger at the airport now, and he was able to bypass the worst of the crush involved in coming and going from the complex. While Shouichi and the others had flown back on a commercial flight from Venice nearly a month ago now, Xanxus had absolutely refused to fly on anything other than the Family jet. Tsuna agreed this was the best option, as Xanxus was temperamental in any situation and crowds tended to make it worse.

With that in mind, Tsuna had Basil pause long enough to drop Reborn off at the main international terminal to meet Bianchi's flight before Tsuna continued on to the private Family hanger. Xanxus' flight was due to leave in less than an hour, and Tsuna needed to thank him again before he left Japan. He also wanted to hand over the disc he'd made with the information, his truth, that he felt Xanxus would need to understand so that they could work together.

Tsuna had made his choice to use the Varia to do his work in protecting the future for all of them, and some part of him knew it was unwise to do so without fully informing Xanxus. He knew Xanxus wouldn't easily tolerate being given orders like these, especially orders that put his team at risk, without knowing why these things had to be done. It was better to show some trust and open up to him than to keep him in the dark.

He was surprised to find Xanxus already at the hanger as they pulled up. Knowing Xanxus' temperament, Tsuna would have expected him to arrive at the last minute, irritated and not at all concerned about inconveniencing anyone. It was one of those moments where he realized he still had a lot to learn about the people he was surrounding himself with. Instead of the rushed, angry movements he'd expected, Xanxus was leaning against the hood of another car, Viper floating over his shoulder as he read through a large document, both of them ignoring the activity around them as their luggage was loaded onto the jet. Neither of them deigned to notice him, which he found both amusing and frustrating at the same time.

"I was hoping I'd catch you before you left," Tsuna said softly, watching them both as he came to a stop a few feet away. "Thank you for all of your help the past couple of weeks. It would have been impossible to handle all of the work for the Family while healing properly." He paused, blushing lightly. "And thank you for the rest, as well. It was kind of you. I mean, I feel like I took advantage of you, in a way." He rubbed the back of his neck as the blush darkened, cursing himself silently about being so nervous. "Like maybe I took advantage of your concern about the Family as a whole. I'm sorry about that."

Xanxus glanced over at him for a long moment before holding a hand out to Viper, palm up, in a silent but demanding gesture. Confused, Tsuna watched in surprise as Viper rummaged grumpily in a pocket before dropping a folded wad of money onto Xanxus' palm. It took Tsuna's brain a few seconds to catch up to the muttering coming from the Arcobaleno.

"I'm never gambling with you again. You cheat," Viper grumbled, clearly feeling the loss of his money. "I'll have to transfer the rest over to your account after we land. I don't carry that much with me."

"As long as you pay up," Xanxus told him, before waving Viper off towards the jet. "I should've bet the other Arcobaleno as well. Now go away. My personal life is none of your business."

For a moment, Tsuna wondered to himself if Xanxus was sending Viper away to protect Tsuna's privacy more than his own. After all, it wasn't like Viper didn't know what they'd done. He'd helped arrange it, after all. Shaking his head, he shoved that thought away for a later time. Wondering about Xanxus' personal motives while being faced with him in a professional setting was a distraction he didn't need.

"You need to outgrow that irritating need to placate others," Xanxus said, eyes returning to the document in his hands. "It'll get you killed more often than it will help you. Possibly by me, if you keep doing it."

"I'm sorry." Tsuna flinched as the words slipped out of his mouth before they could stop them. "Oh hell," he muttered, rubbing his face in frustration. "It's harder to get over than you think. I've spent my whole life hiding from everyone and everything. I'm afraid of almost everything. It's always been easier to apologize than face up to things."

"Get over it," Xanxus replied, finally glancing up at him again. "If you're going to order the deaths of others, you don't have the right to hide your face anymore and pretend it's not really happening."

"I know that," Tsuna snapped back at him, frowning in frustration. "I'm trying. I'm not like you. I didn't grow up surrounded by all of this. There are still a lot of things that I don't understand, even after really focusing on it. I feel so stupid all of the time."

Tucking the report away, Xanxus pushed himself off the car and moved closer to Tsuna, looking down at him thoughtfully. There was something in his eyes that kept Tsuna from flinching away or pulling back, something dark and full of knowledge and experience. Something inside him clicked and told him sharply that if he pulled back, that if he retreated he might never have the kind of connection with this man that he'd need to keep their Family alive. So he stood his ground and lifted his face, meeting Xanxus' eyes not defiantly, but respectfully.

"That's better," Xanxus commented, stopping in what was definitely space Tsuna considered personal and private, encroaching mercilessly. "You should always at least have the balls to look someone you've fucked in the face. If you can't do that, you should've kept your pants on."

He couldn't help it; Tsuna blushed bright red. It felt like he was blushing from his toes to the top of his head. There was something different about being confronted with what he'd done with Xanxus in comparison to talking with his friends when they'd fooled around in the past. Tsuna couldn't help but wonder if the difference was in the man in front of him, or what they'd done together and how far they'd gone. That brought other questions to mind, and he couldn't keep himself from asking them.

"Do you… I mean… have you… oh hell," Tsuna gathered up his courage, his eyes never leaving Xanxus' even as his blush deepened. "Do your friends come to you, the way mine come to me? With the need to be close and touch like that?"

"I don't have friends," Xanxus replied, looking slightly amused now. "But if you're asking if those whiny bitches cling to me like vines, then the answer is yes. They're just as fucked up in the head as the ones that follow you around. They've just learned to be quieter about it."

"There's nothing quiet about your team, Xanxus," Tsuna replied. But for some reason, that soothed Tsuna, and he could feel himself relaxing slightly. He wasn't the only one, and he wasn't unnatural, at least not in the world he'd chosen to live in. "I suppose it takes a certain kind of attachment to be willing to die for someone like that."

"They're idiots," Xanxus stated firmly. "But it's almost impossible to get rid of them unless you kill them yourself."

"Well at least I'm not a freak of nature then," Tsuna muttered to himself. "I was beginning to think I was putting out some kind of crazy hormone or something. But now I know I'm not alone in all of this." He smiled sweetly at Xanxus only to blink in surprise as the older man stared at him and then turned away for a moment, before turning back.

"Don't go putting us in the same category, shrimp," Xanxus told him, giving him a sharp look. "You've got decades to go before you're anywhere close to me. You can't even keep your puppies from following you." With that he nodded towards the entrance of the hangar where Tsuna noticed that Basil had been joined by Kyoya, who was leaning against the side of the car and apparently napping.

"I'm beginning to think they have me micro-chipped," Tsuna complained, instinctively grabbing onto Xanxus' arm and tugging him away from their line of sight. "At least they don't follow me into the bathroom, I suppose."

Xanxus raised a slow eyebrow at the manhandling but allowed it for the moment. Then he glanced over to the entryway of the waiting jet and snorted lightly. Following his gaze, Tsuna caught a flash of purple and black before the portal was clear again. "Get used to it."

There was nothing Tsuna could do at that but laugh, especially as he glanced back towards the car and noticed that both Basil and Kyoya had moved slightly, reclaiming their view of Tsuna without appearing to have tried to do so at all. "I suppose I'll have to."

Shaking off the casual discussion, Tsuna reached into his bag and pulled out the disc he'd burned earlier in the day. Frowning at it, he couldn't stop looking between the disc and Xanxus, working himself up to the point of handing it over. Doing this would expose him in so many ways to someone who was clearly dangerous and who'd shown a marked lack of interest in Tsuna's well-being. On the other hand, he couldn't doubt Xanxus' loyalty to the Family, not after what he'd done both in the future and in the recent past. He felt himself flush at the memory of the last favor he'd asked from Xanxus, body heating slightly at the reminder of large hands and a warm body against his.

Forcing himself to focus on the current situation, Tsuna held out the disc to Xanxus. "I need you to take this and review the material on it, and I need you to understand how important it is that this never goes beyond the two of us. There are things coming up, and things that have happened already, that you'll be able to understand better when put into context. But if we don't resolve the problems I'm showing you, then everything else we've done or will do will simply fall."

"We're Vongola," Xanxus replied sharply. "No one and nothing on this earth could crush us. Not unless they destroyed every one of us down to the last child."

His phrasing caught at Tsuna, tearing into him in brutal ways as he flashed back through the research he'd done in the future, what Reborn and the others had forced him to see, to realize how terrible their situation truly had been. Tsuna could feel himself go pale at the memories and felt himself shake slightly. If it hadn't been for the hand that grasped his chin firmly, he was sure he probably would have slumped to the ground, overwhelmed by the horror of the future again.

Glancing up, Tsuna blinked in surprise to find Xanxus' fiery eyes watching him intently, and then he saw understanding start to dawn in them, all of it hidden from the others watching the two of them with a careful tilt of the head and fall of hair across a scarred cheek. What surprised Tsuna more, however, was that the face above his was getting closer and closer. It wasn't until he was caught in a searing kiss that his brain caught up to the world around him, and all he could do was reach out and grasp at Xanxus' jacket and cling to him for dear life as the older man drove the fear out of him with heat.

As he pulled back, Xanxus ignored the snarl Kyoya gave from the entrance to the hanger and Basil's muffled cry of outrage. The fact that he did made Tsuna realize that they'd started to move in, probably drawn by the weakness and fear Tsuna had shown. That slapped Tsuna back to awareness fully, and he gave Xanxus a slight nod of understanding, and then grasped his shirt and pulled him in for another fierce kiss.

By the time Xanxus pulled back a second time, Tsuna was flushed and panting. He couldn't stop the soft, needy sound that slipped out of him, hand still grasping the rumpled front of Xanxus' shirt. A quick glance towards the entrance showed him that his friends had stopped moving forward and had instead taken to staring at the two of them blankly in a vague sort of horrified shock. Satisfied with that, Tsuna smiled up at Xanxus, who was looking down at him with an expression Tsuna couldn't quite understand.

"Thank you," Tsuna murmured, slowly releasing his shirt and brushing the wrinkles out of it with his hand. "I still have a lot to learn about being a good boss. Reborn says I show fear too easily and that I need to learn to hide my emotions better." He didn't, however, apologize for the second kiss.

"He's right." Xanxus reached out with an elegant flick of his hand and took the disc from Tsuna, tucking it into his pocket discretely. "I have a long flight. I might as well entertain myself with this." His expression hadn't changed, and Tsuna realized he could break down some of the components of it. He saw heat and need, which made Tsuna blush, but he also saw concern and an almost unholy devotion which he knew was for the Family. There was a lot of other emotion in that face that he didn't understand at all, but he hoped that understanding would come with time.

"Then let me know if you have any questions about it." Tsuna again made a conscious decision not to step back or pull away from Xanxus, forcing himself to adjust to the nearness. "It's important that Reborn knows nothing about this, but Grandfather has the same information I'm giving you."

Xanxus raised an eyebrow at that but let it go, clearly not interested in discussing it any further. Instead, he turned and headed towards the waiting jet. "Try not to get yourself killed too easily, Tsunayoshi. If you survive a while longer, I might find the time to stop in Japan again to see how you managed it."

Tsuna couldn't help but laugh at that even as the words did something wicked to his body, reminding him of how they'd spent part of this visit. It made him more daring than he'd thought he could be. "If you manage to make it back to Japan, Xanxus, maybe I'll sign up for more lessons with you."

As Tsuna turned and headed back to the car Xanxus' laughter filled the hanger around him and he found himself smiling. For some reason he felt like he'd made the right choices today and that reassured him quite a bit. Now he just had to survive moving into his new home, Bianchi's rage, and find a way to prevent the end of the world as they knew it and things would be fine. While Basil fussed over him and Kyoya muttered about dipping him in bleach to remove the contamination, Tsuna simply smiled at each of them. With friends like these and warriors like the Varia, how could he fail?

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*Title translates to "towards better things".


	6. Interlude I: Bis repetita placent

**Interlude I: Bis repetita placent (Venice, Italy / Vongola Estate / Ten Years Later)**

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**A/N:** This is an unbeta'd chapter, as thi_hoai has been busy with important things like moving and life, and I didn't want to hold back on releasing it. It has had its characterization beta read with Ai-chan, however, so I'm hoping it's up to par with the other chapters. I apologize ahead of time for my obsessive love of commas, which thi_hoai usually edits aggressively for me. I write like I speak, and so for me, every pause for breath or focus requires a comma, but that doesn't always translate well to the written word. That's why we have editors, right?

This is set in the future, and while it doesn't come through much here, it's on the cusp of what will be changing times for Tsuna and his Family. He's transitioning out of the panicked mode of the past and into a more adult life, while finding that he's stronger and more secure in himself. This will bring about strong changes in his relationships with others, which the future interludes will continue to portray.

I have two more interludes to follow, and then we'll pick up the regular story with the results of Reborn's discussion with Bianchi over ending their relationship, and Tsuna's move to his own home. The next interlude focuses on Verde and Fong, so look forward to that. (Yes, I'm using Fong, and not Fon, because I prefer that variant.) I hope you enjoy the chapter and all the chapters to follow. Keep the feedback coming please, as well. It makes me smile with every comment!

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Tsuna woke to the sound of the shower running in the adjoining bathroom and stretched luxuriously beneath the sheets, pouting slightly when he realized that the sound of water falling meant he was alone in the bed. Reborn had some sort of built-in alarm clock that rarely allowed them the luxury of sleeping in. When it did happen, it was because Tsuna woke up just enough to catch him before he made it to the shower and managed to drag him back into bed, pinning him down snugly with his body weight and using him as a pillow. Today Tsuna either hadn't been fast enough or Reborn had been extra stealthy, which meant there was probably a lot of work to be done. Grumbling slightly, he managed to pull himself up into a sitting position, leaning back against the headboard.

His mouth twitched into a small smile when he saw his clothes for the day draped over a chair against the far wall. Reborn had discovered early on that Tsuna had little interest in clothing or fashion and that he would always wear the most comfortable clothing he could get away with at any given time. State of repair and quality meant nothing, as long as it was semi-presentable and easy to wear. So when Tsuna had been forced to transition into the more adult wardrobe required by his position as the head of the Family, they'd butted heads regularly for months.

The truth was that Tsuna hated wearing suits. They were uncomfortable and even when properly tailored he found that they pinched and rubbed in places he preferred they wouldn't. He also firmly believed the weight of a suit jacket was perfectly designed to give him pounding migraines by the end of the day. So no matter how well Reborn had dressed him at the start of the day, by lunch the tie was dangling, the suit jacket was flung over the nearest piece of furniture and his shirt was unbuttoned down to his collarbones.

For Reborn, who was always impeccably dressed, it was practically sacrilege and they'd argued about it regularly. On this subject however, Tsuna had held firm. He was willing to do many things for his Family, but he wasn't going to spend every waking moment of his day feeling uncomfortable. In the end, he'd forced Reborn to give in and compromise. Tsuna would wear what Reborn chose, but only if there was no jacket or tie, unless they needed to meet with outsiders. He understood the need to look like he was the head of the Family, but he also knew his Family and he knew they wouldn't miss the jacket and tie as long as he still showed up for dinner every night.

With those restrictions in mind and unwilling to press Tsuna in an area that mattered less than so many of the others they had to address on a daily basis, Reborn had invested in a wardrobe for Tsuna that they both could agree upon. For business days, he'd given in on the suit argument and switched to dressing Tsuna in slacks and a series of elegant vests over sharply pressed shirts, which gave him enough of a professional look to satisfy Reborn while allowing Tsuna the comfort he wanted. They'd both been satisfied, especially when the lack of headaches meant more quality time after the work was done.

It had, however, given rise to a new obsession of Reborn's that Tsuna found himself both amused by and exasperated with, even after all these years. His eyes drifted over the elegant jeweler's box sitting on the dresser next to the chair and sighed. It was one of over thirty that now lived in the dangerous-looking safe in Reborn's private apartment. Each one contained a slightly different and always painfully elegant pocket watch that he demanded Tsuna wear with the vests. All of them were insanely expensive and Tsuna protested the cost every now and then, right up until Reborn gave him that look; that dark, dangerous look that he remembered from his youth that suggested violence and excessive punishment if he continued to argue. At that point, Tsuna would simply relent and thank him properly, giving in to him yet again.

Reborn, of course, always dressed sharply. His suits and shirts were always perfectly pressed and his tie was perfectly straight at the start of every morning, although like Tsuna by the end of the day he was often a bit rumpled. What amused Tsuna the most was that Reborn had a fedora to match the colors of every insanely expensive shirt in his collection. The hats and the sharp wardrobe entertained Tsuna to the point that mussing Reborn in any way he could had become a daily challenge that took some of the tedium out of the piles of paperwork involved in running a mafia empire.

Wincing at the thought of the work waiting for him, Tsuna pulled himself out of bed next. Ignoring the clothing, he made a beeline for the bathroom for a quick pit stop before glancing over at the shower. Calculating the amount of steam in the room against his awareness of Reborn's love of long, hot showers, he grinned and mentally blew off work for a little while longer, sliding open the shower door instead and slipping in to join him.

The dark, amused smile that greeted him told him he'd been expected and before Tsuna could think clearly enough to stage a retreat he was pressed firmly up against the shower wall. He would have protested about the lack of brushed teeth if he'd been able to speak through the mouth that covered his own. He'd learned that Reborn cared less about things like that than about the more interesting things like how Tsuna wriggled against him indignantly at first before becoming needy and squirming for entirely different reasons.

When Reborn finally lifted his head to assess the results of his efforts, Tsuna was flushed, breathing hard and having an extremely hard time thinking of anything but the hands drifting over his body possessively. "Good morning, Tsuna."

"Reborn," Tsuna looked up at him with dazed eyes, arms slipping up to wind around his neck snugly. "You can't just stop halfway, you know. That's bad business. The Vongola don't do bad business."

"Yes, boss," Reborn teased, leaning in to kiss him again, his hands sliding down to lift Tsuna and press him fully against the shower wall.

Tsuna couldn't help but purr as he wrapped his legs around Reborn's waist. There was something about that phrase that always sent a stab of arousal through him when Reborn said it, and so he rewarded Reborn by losing himself fully in the kiss. It was rare for the two of them to have uninterrupted time together during the day and he was determined to make as much of these stolen moments as he could before the rest of the world intruded. As it was, he could already hear the phone ringing in the other room.

"Ignore it, Tsuna," Reborn scolded him gently as he pressed slick fingers into him slowly, his voice a soft growl against Tsuna's lips. "They can wait for a little while until I'm ready to give you back to them."

Agreeing with him completely, Tsuna slid a hand into Reborn's hair, fingers fisting slightly as he reveled in the stretch and burn, hips tilting slightly to encourage him. It was rare these days that he allowed himself to be selfish, but it was impossible to focus on anything but the heat of Reborn pressed against him, that strong body holding him like he weighed nothing at all. It fed completely into his desire to be needed and cherished all at once, something that his encounters with the others lacked.

"Love you," Tsuna murmured, licking at Reborn's mouth demandingly before invading it, using his hand in Reborn's hair to keep him close. His hips started to move instinctively, pushing himself down onto Reborn's fingers shamelessly, greedy for more.

He didn't give Reborn a chance to answer out loud, instead forcing him to reply physically. Tsuna found he was too greedy for Reborn's mouth, needing to taste him over and over again. Words could wait. By the time that Reborn's fingers slid out of him, Tsuna could barely pry himself away from Reborn's mouth long enough to whine. Thankfully he found that he wasn't empty for long, because as much as he wanted Reborn, it was obvious that he was needed just as fiercely.

Tsuna couldn't stop himself from wailing softly as Reborn buried himself with one deep thrust. There was something so primal and possessive about the way Reborn touched him and Tsuna reveled in it, his fingers tugging at Reborn's hair sharply to pull him back into another long kiss. He found there was an inherent balance with the way he invaded Reborn's mouth as Reborn began to move, thrusting into him slowly.

From there, Tsuna's world faded to the slick slide of tongue against tongue and the urgent need to make Reborn move faster, harder, anything to allow Tsuna to fall over the edge his body was teetering on. Reborn, however, was merciless. He drew it out with thrust after slow thrust until Tsuna was ready to plead for release out of sheer desperation. Finally he was forced to pull Reborn's head back, breaking the kiss.

"Please," he begged shamelessly, writhing in need against the shower wall, unable to do anything physically to make him move faster or harder. "Reborn, please!"

He could have cried when Reborn just smirked at him and leaned in to nuzzle along his cheek and down his neck, practically purring with pleasure at his begging. Tsuna strained to move his hips, only to realize that Reborn had them in a tight grip, preventing any chance he might have had. Snarling, he did the only thing he could think of to make Reborn lose control. Tugging Reborn's head back firmly by the hair, he leaned forward and sank his teeth into the join of his neck and shoulder, biting sharply.

That seemed to do the trick, because before he'd even let go, Reborn was driving into him sharply and Tsuna couldn't breathe as his hips and back hit the shower wall with each hard thrust. He would have complained, but between one hard thrust and the next his world went white and he was crying out over and over again as he spilled between them, back arching with the sheer pleasure of it. Before he could even start to come down from the peak, he felt Reborn follow, filling him in hot spurts that had him soaring all over again.

When his brain finally started working again, Tsuna slumped forward in Reborn's arms, nuzzling into his neck and whimpering his approval of Reborn's technique. He was pretty sure that if Reborn laughed at him now he'd have to hurt him, but instead he felt arms slide around him, holding him close. The soft kisses trailing along his cheek and down his neck soothed him and made him melt completely.

"Always so impatient," Reborn scolded him, nipping gently along his neck. "But I love that I can do that to you."

Tsuna grumbled when Reborn pulled back and set him gently on his feet, missing the closeness. "I have six meetings today and all I'm going to be able to think about is how sore my ass is during them."

"Then learn to be more patient," Reborn told him, smirking cheerfully as he started washing Tsuna, his hands gentle in direct contrast with his teasing mood. "Or bring a pillow to sit on."

"You're an asshole," Tsuna told him, leaning against him slightly and letting the water wash over him. "But you're mine."

"Always," Reborn replied, dropping a kiss on Tsuna's forehead. "There's no one else I'd rather pick on first thing in the morning."

"You know that most relationships are built around love and communication, right? Not teasing and tormenting for sport," Tsuna complained, tilting his head back so that Reborn could wash his hair for him, taking shameless advantage of his lover's good mood so that he could be lazy just a little bit longer.

"That sounds boring. Not to mention a little girly," Reborn shot back, amused now. "I think you'd probably have me locked up if I went that direction with our relationship, and accuse me of being some sort of spy that only looked like me."

"Maybe," Tsuna mused thoughtfully, reluctantly pulling away from him and turning off the water. "But then, I'm pretty attached to you. And I really, really hate picking out my own clothing. I'm not sure I remember how to, anymore."

Reborn could only laugh at that as they dried off quickly. There was something Tsuna really enjoyed in their mornings together, whether they started with sleeping in, hot sex, or a desperate rush to get out the door. It was in moments like these that Reborn faced him as an equal. As they stood at the sink brushing their teeth together, he wasn't seeing his tutor or even the most powerful killer under his command. Instead, he saw a man that he loved desperately and to distraction. While they both had other lovers off and on, Tsuna knew that he was the only one who was allowed to see Reborn like this, his hair a mess, toothpaste foaming around his mouth and a damp towel around his waist.

That, more than anything, was why he tolerated Reborn's need to dress him like a doll and buy things for him that were obscenely expensive. If what Reborn needed to feel close to him was to do those things and feel like he was helping and guiding Tsuna in every way that he could, then Tsuna would accept it. It meant that the last thing he saw almost every night was that ridiculously spiky black hair on the pillow next to his own fluffy mess of brown hair, and that the arm around his waist was one that he could trust in, no matter what.

Of everyone he surrounded himself with Reborn was the only one Tsuna consciously chose not to worry about, whether he was training, on a mission or in a fight. Tsuna knew in the depths of his heart that Reborn would come back to him no matter what. It was the same promise he made to Reborn when Tsuna saw the worry in those dark eyes that Reborn tried to conceal from him. If anything were to take them out of this world, they'd go together.

So Tsuna allowed Reborn to bully him into the sharply pressed shirt and slacks and didn't complain once as Reborn fastened cuff links at his wrists and then the pocket watch to Tsuna's vest. Instead, he reached out straighten Reborn's tie and smooth down his lapels gently. There was a quick rush of tucking wallets and phones into pockets and they were headed for the door. Before they left Reborn's hidden apartment, however, there was one last ritual to perform.

"You'll call me if you need me," Reborn instructed him, his bossy tone reasserting itself as he prepared himself for the outside world. "I'll be out in the gardens today, overseeing things." He'd been working on some sort of secret project Tsuna was forbidden from asking about, but Tsuna had seen hints of a small cottage going up amidst the rose gardens. He suspected Reborn was about to make another attempt to convince Nana and Iemitsu to relocate to Italy permanently and retire.

"I'll call you whether I need you or not," Tsuna replied, leaning forward to kiss him softly. "So have a good day, Reborn. Come find me for lunch if you have time."

"It's a date, Tsuna," Reborn agreed, smiling slightly. "I'll be there."

"Good." Tsuna slipped into the elevator, smiling back. He knew Reborn would wait a while longer before coming up. It was something they did partly to ease the transition into mafia boss and hit man and partially to give Tsuna time to assert himself as the head of the Family separately, something he needed to do much more rarely these days. He hoped that soon they could go up together every morning without feeling awkward.

"I love you, Tsuna," Reborn said softly, just as the elevator doors started to close. He always let it slip right as the doors were closing, almost as though he were afraid even now that Tsuna wouldn't respond.

Of course Tsuna wasn't as slow as he'd been a decade ago. He'd long ago learned the ins and outs of Reborn's mannerisms and insecurities. So he simply looked up as the doors slid closed and smiled sweetly at him. "I love you, too."

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*Title translates to "The things that please are those that are asked for again and again".


	7. Interlude II: A posse ad esse

**Interlude II: A posse ad esse (Vongola Estate / Venice, Italy / Four Years Future)**

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****A/N:** I know I've let this languish for too long. I'm sorry everyone. I took a job that I love but which required an extreme amount of work to straighten out the mess left behind by others, and I've spent three months working through that. But things have settled now and I'm determined to get this story back on schedule. Because of the holiday, I'm posting this without being beta read, so I apologize for any mistakes I've missed.

I've wanted to write more of Fong and Verde for a while, because I adore them as characters. I should also mention I've been torn on the whole Fong/Fon name issue. I started with Fong at the beginning and so I'm sticking with it for consistency. So if it does bother you, just ignore the 'g' and enjoy the rest.

This interlude takes place after Tsuna and his Family relocated to Italy, but before all of the other 'future-based' interludes, being set four years from the current story line. I hope you all enjoy it and I hope you all have an amazing New Year holiday.

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Of all the many decisions he'd made in his life, Verde would have to admit that one of the few that he found he truly appreciated much later in life was the choice that Vongola Decimo had given Verde when he'd had the Varia capture him. Although it was painful to admit to anyone else, much less himself, he'd been bordering dangerously on the edge of madness and slipping over that edge more and more often. He had been for quite a while when the Arcobaleno Trials had finally occurred. It had reached a point where he'd begun to log the problem in a digital journal while searching for a potential solution.

It wasn't something he was proud of and it was certainly something he'd never discuss willingly with anyone, but being restrained to one location and having his mind focused on designated projects had helped him regroup, allowing him to pull himself out of the chaos that his frustration over his cursed body had caused. The sheer physical limitations of his infant's body had infuriated him from the moment he'd realized what the curse had done to him. He'd rebelled in every way he could find, struggling constantly to find a way out of this ridiculous, illogical, absurdly magical trap.

Verde had always been dangerously brilliant and had never once resented it in the least until the day he found himself talked into agreeing to take on this ridiculous curse. If he'd had any idea how much it would limit his freedom in the end, especially his ability to use his own body, he would have refused without a second thought. It was one thing to have some concern for the well-being of the world around him and an entirely different thing to sacrifice your freedom and your life, to be stuck living the rest of it in a form that deliberately limited your power and destroyed your chances at any sort of real life. Left alone with only his pet for company, he'd found himself resentful and angry. The resentment had grown and poisoned him over the years, making him colder, darker and even cruel in the end.

That had started to change unexpectedly the day Sawada Tsunayoshi defeated him during the trials, sparking his interest. His clever eyes and diagnostic tools had noticed the scientific gadgets Sawada had used to control his flames and it sparked inspiration in Verde. He'd kept a silent eye on the boy over the next year or so and found himself even more interested, if quite annoyed, when the Varia stormed his compound and seized both himself and all of his research. He'd made it hard and painful for them, but he'd had to admit he was curious about why they'd come to capture him and so he'd allowed it for the moment.

His negotiations with the young Vongola Decimo had only fueled his interest, and he had to admit now that things had worked out for the best in many ways. He had gained an exceptional workspace, an enormous budget, and he was able to pursue the avenues of research he'd already been obsessing over for years. That alone was enough to keep him content for quite a while, but then he'd received another set of unexpected benefits that he found he appreciated even more than the additional income and excellent research facilities.

"Yo! You're blocking the doorway again, old man." The soft but steady voice came from behind him, rousing him from his surveying glance over the mechanical portion of the enormous subterranean laboratory that he claimed ownership of. Tilting his head back and turning slightly, he spotted the blond head of one of those benefits standing behind him, looking sleepy.

"You should be used to it by now," Verde replied, smirking slightly at him. "You've been here for two years, and there hasn't been a day yet where you aren't shoving me out of the doorway."

He'd found over time that he'd developed a fondness for Spanner that dated back to his early days at the Vongola estate. The kid had a brilliant mind focused entirely on mechanics and technology of all sorts. It fascinated Verde to see another mind that held a level of aptitude that might match his own eventually, if it was allowed to fully develop. So he'd somehow found himself taking the kid under his wing, first by email with the occasional video conference, and then eventually Spanner had ended up in his lab with him when the younger Family members had relocated to Italy two years later.

"We are." A second voice warmed the room, softer but with a humorous tone to it, as though endlessly amused by this routine of theirs. "But that doesn't mean we won't hassle you about it until you let us in."

Verde's smirk widened, growing into what could almost be called a smile at the sight of Shouichi standing behind Spanner. "You boys are early this morning. I was just admiring your work."

Shouichi was another benefit of allowing the Vongola to keep Verde leashed. He was brilliant as well, with a mind to rival Spanner's. His interests were more diverse, however, and Verde had made exceptional use of his talents over time. It was almost unnatural to him, the enjoyment he found in their company, spending late hours in the labs or garages working on new inventions, improving older ones, or just challenging each other for the fun of it.

He also found himself somewhat fond of Hayato, who was brilliant as well, but in different ways. Hayato kept them organized and focused, was able to keep stocked what they didn't even realized they needed and best of all, made sure they ate regularly. There were days he contemplated stealing the boy from Sawada and locking him in the labs with them permanently.

"We would have been here earlier but we got distracted on the way to breakfast," Spanner told him, leaning against him and resting his chin on Verde's shoulder from behind, a friendly arm winding around his waist. "Shou-chan was feeling frisky and we had to find a private room before we could eat."

"Spanner!" Shouichi flushed a deep red and adjusted his glasses, something that always amused Verde. "People don't need to hear things like that. It's private!"

"Brats," Verde murmured and stepped aside, allowing them in. "My breakfast hasn't even arrived yet."

Shouichi frowned slightly at that. "I'll talk to the staff again, Verde. They're supposed to be available to you with a respectful response time. It's rude of them to delay your meals like that. Tsuna would disapprove of it if he knew it was happening so regularly."

"It's irritating," Spanner agreed calmly, sliding past Verde to reclaim his favorite workbench, slumping into his chair with a pleased sigh. "It's not like they don't all benefit from the work we're doing down here."

Verde had to chuckle softly at their frustration. "Benefits or not, I'm still a prisoner here. They know that and they treat me the way they feel I deserve to be treated. There's a vast divide between Family, and not."

He gestured down to his left leg, where the outline of the security cuff Sawada insisted on was evident, even through his pants. It had been switched out when relief had come from the curse and he'd regained his normal size, but it was just as dangerous as the original version. It ran the length of the calf and he was well aware that if he left the area of the estate set aside and secured for him, it was very likely to take his leg off for him. He'd reluctantly avoided attempting to hack his way into the electronics of it because it was also likely that his attempt to disarm it might actually trigger it. Better to be safe and two-legged while he wanted the funding for his research than to be arrogant and spend the rest of his long life rolling around on wheels or limping like a pirate until he managed to build something suitable as a replacement.

It made him wonder sometimes what the young Vongola Decimo thought he would do that Verde needed to be so significantly restrained. Then he would think back to the darker paths his mind had been taking at the point in time that he'd been captured, and he would shrug. It's true that he was just as likely to kill off his fellow Arcobaleno as help them, back then. Everyone knew how fond Sawada was of that irritating bastard Reborn, something Verde couldn't understand and found completely illogical. He could, however, understand the importance of protecting what you wanted to keep safe.

Still, as irritating as being imprisoned and tracked was, the benefits currently outweighed the imposition of it and Verde was nothing if not painfully logical when it came to getting what he wanted and needed. At least here at the Vongola estates his research was well-funded, he was able to make use of these two boys full time, he had permission to use Hayato when he was available and he was able to access Shamal's vast if somewhat eerie medical knowledge. It allowed him to exponentially increase the rate of his research and his production of weaponry and other tools, which he was quite enjoying.

There were other benefits he enjoyed as well, especially now that he was somewhat close to his original size. It frustrated him to this day that the closest he could get to normal was still a good almost-decade from where he'd started out when taking on the curse, but he could live with missing a few years of physical maturity if it meant that he wasn't knee high to everyone around him. Someday he'd figure out the glitch in their solution and finish the job, but for now he was satisfied with how things were.

The sheer sensuality of the Sawada household, for example, had proven to be quite an unexpected but pleasant benefit, especially with three young men eager to learn from him. Originally some part of him had mourned the lack of truly intelligent females in Sawada's Family, but he'd had to quickly admit to himself that Shouichi and Spanner more than made up for that with enthusiasm and creativity. Hayato was entertaining as well, as long as he wasn't caught up in the drama of his life at the time. It meant that he rarely had to sleep alone if he wanted company, which did a lot to take the edge off of his temper.

Lately, however, he'd been more reluctant to take advantage of their willingness and people had begun to notice. He wasn't sure if they thought he was distancing himself in preparation for an attempted escape or maybe that he was slowly losing his mind again, or his personal favorite, that he'd fallen in love with someone unattainable. The simple truth, however, was that he was bored with it. He'd never expected in his lifetime to become bored with sex, especially not after being able to actually have it again, but it had taken just a couple of years for him to reach this point.

There would be another move soon, he was sure, in the mental game of chess that he played with Sawada and Reborn that was tied up in maintaining the balance of power that kept him here in such a way that he wasn't inclined to rebel and actually put any effort into escaping. Verde wasn't stupid, and he was fully aware that if Sawada was still inclined to hold him here at the estates then the external risk to Verde's life still existed, along with the strong chance there was another power out there who might be inclined to manipulate his research in a way that would be damaging to the Vongola. Still, it wouldn't do to let them think he was relying on their protection, so he made them work to keep him comfortable and disinclined to actually attempt an escape that was likely to be successful.

Much to his surprise, the next move came earlier than he expected. In fact, it walked in the door a few minutes later with his breakfast on a tray, and all Verde could do was stare blankly for a long moment. Then he started to swear under his breath, eyes narrowing as he plotted Reborn's brutal end. There was playing the game and then there was playing dirty, and this fell far into the deep end of playing dirty. He could feel his temper honing itself to a sharp edge as he watched his doom approach him.

"If you continue to frown like that, you're going to get wrinkles," a soft, elegant voice chided him as the tray was set down on his desktop. "You're thinking too much."

"Thinking is what I do best," Verde shot back, eyes roaming slowly over the intruder, not sure whether to be pleased or pissed to see him. "What are you doing here? I thought a free spirit like you wasn't the type to stay in one place?"

"Even wanderers eventually have to choose a home, don't they?" A gentle tilt of the head, a light shrug of the shoulders and that annoyingly calm tone had Verde twitching, much to the other man's amusement. "Would it be so terrible if I chose this one? Some of my dearest friends have settled here, after all."

"Have you finally decided to come clean to that rude brat of Sawada's and settle down for a while, then?" It was a low blow, but Verde was pissed for some reason he couldn't quite figure out and didn't feel like exploring at the moment. "I thought your fear of admitting your past indiscretions would keep you far away from here."

"Have you been forgetting to eat?" That amused, calm look just pissed him off even more, but before he could lash out, he found himself being pressed into the chair behind his desk and forced to eat. "Really, Verde, you're not a child. You should realize by now that not eating regularly makes you temperamental."

"You should realize by now lecturing me will get you nowhere," Verde shot back grumpily as he started to eat, not about to admit that the addition of food to his system very quickly started to improve his mood. It was never a good idea to let Fong think he was right about anything. "Now why are you here? And I don't just mean in Venice, I mean in my lab."

"I was thinking about staying for a while," Fong replied, settling on the edge of Verde's desk and stealing part of his breakfast with a grace that drove Verde insane because he couldn't build anything that moved that elegantly, no matter how hard he tried.

"You really are considering talking to the boy, aren't you?" Verde found his mood improving as curiosity overcame his natural irritability now that that he'd been fed. "You're going to have to eventually, you know. The two of you practically look like twins. The boy isn't stupid, as anti-social and oblivious to the social norms as he is. He's got to have some sort of clue by now."

"Reborn mentioned that he'd expressed some curiosity about the resemblance recently," Fong admitted, nodding slowly and in that annoyingly elegant way that always made Verde twitch slightly in ways he wasn't sure he quite understood, which always frustrated him. "I suppose it might be time to discuss it with him."

"So that's why you're here?" Verde had thought that must be the case, so he was surprised with the answer he received.

"No, that's not why I'm here," Fong smiled at him in that frustrating way that made Verde's hands tighten under the desk slightly to resist the urge to shake him, or something else. Sometimes he just wasn't sure which would give him more pleasure. "I was told that you've been acting strangely, and I came to see for myself."

"I'm not just a prisoner now? I'm an exhibit as well? Is this a zoo, now?" Verde shot him a look full of frustration and restlessness. "I should charge extra for that."

"Young Tsunayoshi can barely afford to keep you happy as it is, Verde," Fong laughed softly, amused at something that Verde simply couldn't discern. "If you keep raising your prices, you'll bankrupt the Vongola."

"Talent should never come cheap," Verde huffed indignantly. "Especially not a mind like mine. I can't just whore myself out to the lowest bidder, you know."

"I've always admired your mind," Fong commented, smiling slowly in a way that left Verde completely confused, something he struggled to hide from the other man. "But there are other things to admire about you as well."

Verde blinked at him, shocked into silence for a long moment. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"I hear you've been spending some personal time with young Shouichi and Spanner, Verde," Fong replied, switching subjects in what Verde could only take as an extremely abrupt diversion.

Blinking at him in surprise at the somewhat intrusive and entirely inappropriate statement, Verde frowned. "If you mean am I fucking them, then yes, I have been. Or I was," he corrected himself, "I stopped a while ago."

"It's not like you to give up something that you enjoy, Verde," Fong commented thoughtfully, tilting his head in curiosity. "You're one of the most self-indulgent people I know. Is it because they're so obviously in love with each other? Did you feel as though you were intruding? I wouldn't expect that kind of consideration from you."

"If I was intruding, they wouldn't be inviting me to join them so regularly, now would they?" Verde couldn't understand the purpose of this line of questioning, and found that he was a little stung by the assumption that he could be so blatantly insensitive over his staff. "I've simply lost interest at this point, and there's no logic to wasting my time with something that doesn't entertain me." It sounded harsh, given his fondness for the boys, and Verde winced internally, hoping the boys weren't listening in.

"Even before the curse, you were never one for casual relationships," Fong said thoughtfully. "I remember that you'd say you were more interested in your research than human involvement. I'd always assumed you were the type that needed something more than just the carnal to be happy."

"You think I'm the sort that needs true love to be happy?" Verde asked, scoffing slightly while refusing to meet those irritating, knowing, eyes. "Have you been delving into fortune-telling again? I thought our last round of experiments proved to you how ridiculous the whole idea of fate and predestination is."

"Quite the contrary, my friend," Fong smiled wisely at Verde, which made his fingers twitch again, wanting desperately to do something about the irritated, abraded feeling that smile caused him, but not sure exactly what that something was. "I find these days that I'm less and less sure about what is going to come next."

"Why are you really here, Fong?" Verde stared at him as though if he looked hard enough, he might find the answer. "Did Sawada send you down to make sure I don't slip my leash? Did you want to make sure I'm not losing my mind again? Did Reborn tell you that your presence would be some sort of miraculous intervention and bring me cheerfully to the side of the light and flowers and puppies?"

That last question stung, and he saw the impact in his friend's face as Fong flinched back slightly away from him and Verde instantly regretted it. While he had no problem insulting Sawada, Reborn and a million other people, Fong had always been kind to him, if irritating in his untouchable calm. That in mind, he did something that he almost never did to make up for it.

"I apologize," he muttered grumpily, glaring at Fong. "That was uncalled for." He cursed himself when he saw Fong's face light back up at the apology, wondering why the other's mood was affecting him so much. It was making him nervous and uncertain, two things he almost never experienced.

"You're putting too much thought into why I'm here," Fong told him, continuing to smile that smile that kept twisting Verde up into knots. "I'm here to see you. There's no other reason behind it. I was upstairs and I realized I haven't seen you in too long. I wanted to see you, so I came down to your lab." He paused, as though thinking something through, and then spoke again. "It's good to see you, although I wish you were happier."

Verde froze at that, and stared at Fong blankly. For the life of him, he couldn't remember anyone ever saying anything like that to him. His brain spun but it simply didn't compute. He couldn't break those words down into something that he could understand and work with.

"You're melting his brain," Shouichi said from his workstation across the room, smiling gently at Fong. "If you want him to understand what you're talking about, you need to break it down into logical statements. His brain stalls out when people start talking about feelings and other human things like that."

"I suppose you're right." Fong smiled back at Shouichi warmly, something that made Verde twitch again for a whole different set of reasons he wasn't sure he understood, even as it sharpened his temper again. "Sometimes it's best to be straightforward. Thank you for the reminder."

Shouichi smiled at both of them as he pulled himself up and came over long enough to steal a muffin from Verde's breakfast before heading back into a deeper portion of the lab, taking Spanner with him to give them privacy. Verde watched him go, eyes full of affection without even realizing it. It wasn't until Fong shifted on his desk that he refocused on his visitor.

"So it's true," Fong said softly, his smile fading somewhat, which confused Verde even more. "You do love them. Maybe this lack of interest right now is just a natural cycle for you and your attention is focused elsewhere."

"I'm fond of them," Verde admitted cautiously, feeling like he was on shaky ground for some reason. "But Shouichi and Spanner are very much in love with each other and anyone involved with them would always be somewhat on the outside of that relationship."

It seemed like the light was slowly fading from Fong's face and Verde couldn't wrap his mind around why that would be happening. After all, he'd known the other man for decades and when they'd been in the same place at the same time, Fong had always seemed pleased to see him. He'd almost decided somewhere in his mind that they were friends.

"What's the matter with you?" Verde asked, trying to analyze his friend and discover what the problem here was, not at all pleased to watch him practically deflate right in front of his eyes. "Why do you care so much about those two anyway?"

"I was curious, that's all," Fong said quickly, looking almost nervous now. "I was thinking about settling down for a while, and in trying to find the right place to do that, I suppose I want to know as much as I can about what the people are like there."

"You're lying to me," Verde accused, giving him a look that was a mix of outrage with a tinge of hurt. Fong had never lied to him before. "Whatever it is you want to say, there's no reason to lie about it, you know. Just because I'm not full of frilly emotion doesn't mean I can't understand what someone says."

Fong stared at him quietly for a long moment before sliding off the desk and moving closer. "You're usually more observant than this."

"Reborn is easier to read than you are," Verde replied, feeling grumpy now. His frustration faded to confusion, however, as Fong took another step towards him and invaded his personal space so completely that it had to have been a deliberate choice. "What are you doing?"

"I'm taking a chance," Fong replied, smiling at him again in that same way that left Verde feeling lost and confused, as though there was something just out of his grasp that he knew he should understand. He wasn't left in the dark long, however, because his enigmatic friend leaned forward and pressed their lips together softly.

The soft brush against his lips woke something in Verde that reminded him of the bolts of inspiration that often woke him at night and kept him working for days or weeks on a project that caught his attention. This time, however, instead of a swirl of possibilities that he had to sort through and distill, his entire world narrowed down to focus on one point, where his lips met Fong's. His focus was so intent that when Fong tried to pull back, clearly thinking that Verde wasn't responding to the kiss, Verde lashed out, locking a hand tightly on the front of Fong's shirt, pulling him close.

"Verde…" Fong stared at him with wide eyes as Verde kissed him again, taking the initiative this time.

When Verde approached things that caught his attention, he was relentless about it. It was clear in the way he backed Fong up against the desk again and leaning into him. Then Verde half-bent the other man backwards over it as he kissed him fiercely. He was very quickly figuring out what had been eating at him since Fong had invaded his laboratory and that realization was leading him down paths of deduction that had his head spinning almost as overwhelmingly. It didn't help that the warm body that was pressing so tightly against his own was sending his body into overload.

Pulling back, he looked at Fong intently, taking in the flushed cheeks and rough breathing with a slightly smug sense of accomplishment. "So this is why you're really here. You should have just said so."

"If you're implying that my whole reason for wanting to stay here is hinging on whether you'd return the kiss, your ego is bigger than your brain," Fong replied, looking at him with narrowed eyes, suspicious now. "This is just something I'd been thinking about off and on for a while." Verde could practically feel Fong retreating emotionally now.

"You've been thinking about me, have you?" Verde wasn't about to miss out on the chance to dig into this further, especially now that Fong had his undivided attention. "You should have just said something, Fong. I'm always willing to accommodate special requests from old friends. I can't imagine I'd have said no to the idea of letting you kiss me, as long as you asked nicely."

"You're an asshole," Fong grumbled, frowning at him now and squirming slightly, trying to escape.

"Probably," Verde agreed absentmindedly, his mind straying as Fong's squirming pressed them together more intimately than he'd expected. He found that he liked that squirming quite a bit, and decided to encourage it, tilting his head slightly to graze his teeth along Fong's neck slowly. "I am what I am, after all."

The soft sound Fong made next struck a strange note in Verde's chest, making it hard to breathe all of a sudden. He liked that sound a lot and found that he wanted to hear it again. So he pressed his hips tightly against Fong's, growling slightly when he realized just how sensitive the other man was and just how hard he himself was. With a slight shift of his hips came a brush of hard arousal that made his cock twitch almost violently.

"Verde…" Fong gave him a look that was half temper and half need. "If you're just doing this to play with me, I'll make you regret it."

Verde shut him up efficiently by kissing him again. He was curious, wanting to know if Fong tasted as good as he felt, held so tightly against him. So he kissed him aggressively, taking the initiative fully this time and nipping and licking at his lips until Fong let him in. When their tongues slid together, Verde's brain stopped working completely and he moaned softly into Fong's mouth as he shifted his weight to pin him firmly down onto the desk with his body.

From there, the world around him became fuzzy because he couldn't direct enough of his brain away from the warm, demanding man underneath him to notice much of anything else. He vaguely heard the whir of the lock on his laboratory door as the boys chose to ignore what he and Fong were doing and give them some privacy, but he found he honestly didn't care. What he cared about was working Fong's clothing open, starting with that ridiculously fastened shirt of his.

"If you wanted to get naked with me, Fong, you should have picked something easier to take off of you," Verde commented, mouth moving over his skin as he exposed it. "Or maybe you should have just come naked instead."

He hissed when Fong bit him for that but he had to admit to himself that Fong had picked a damned good spot to bite. As much as it hurt, those teeth clamping down where his shoulder and neck met did something that multiplied his arousal exponentially. Growling softly, he returned the favor and grazed over Fong's skin with his teeth, nipping here and there. His bites were softer, because there was something about the man beneath him that focused and soothed the natural aggression and madness that ate at him constantly, changing it in unexpected ways that he couldn't quantify.

"Stop thinking so much," Fong told him, his breath soft and unsteady. "Sometimes, you just have to simply be, and not wonder about why or how." He gave a sharp tug, and Verde blinked as the buttons flew off his shirt as Fong forcibly helped him out of it. "This should be one of those times. Shut up and feel."

"When did you get so bossy?" Verde asked, but found himself following his friend's advice.

It was painfully easy to let go of the outside world completely and focus on the feel of Fong underneath him as they struggled their way out of their shirts. With fabric out of the way, Verde could feel the silky warm skin under his fingers. Intellectually, he'd known that the level of martial arts skills Fong possessed necessitated muscle, but the feel of them as he traced over Fong's chest made his breath catch slightly. The pleasure of touching him made Verde want to taste as well, and he lowered his head, tracing the same muscles with teeth and tongue. As he grazed over one nipple and then the other, he heard that soft, wicked sound again.

He would have lingered but Fong moved then, hips rocking against his slightly. It distracted him as the friction ripped through his body in a wave of need. Before his brain caught up to his body, his hands were working almost frantically to get Fong out of his pants, wanting even more. Verde realized what he was doing moments after he'd tugged the fabric down and out of his way, leaving Fong naked and sprawled over his desk, flushed and panting. It was a beautiful sight and Verde felt something twinge in his chest.

"If you stayed, would I get to see you like this again?" he asked as he slid his hands along Fong's thighs slowly, making his way upward again.

"I think we could come to an agreement," Fong replied, watching him intently even as he shivered under his hands. "If you wanted that."

"I want you," Verde told him, before leaning in to kiss him again. It was hot and messy this time and so intense that Verde almost missed the way Fong's clever fingers were working his pants open and pushing them down. He caught on quickly however when a calloused hand wrapped around his cock and stroked him slowly.

"Oh fuck," Verde's vocabulary abandoned him as his brain melted more and more with each shift of Fong's hand and he found himself leaning into the desk for support, bracing himself over Fong's body.

"I think I'm going to make you buy me dinner before we get that far," Fong told him as he leaned up slightly to nuzzle along Verde's neck, making him shudder slightly at the mix of sensations. "I'm demanding, you know."

At any other time, Verde would have pointed out that he was a prisoner here and that the chances of that were small. Now, however, all he could think about was touching Fong, so he murmured his agreement against Fong's jaw and slid a hand down to stroke him in the same wicked rhythm that was driving him insane. When Fong whimpered into his neck Verde lost himself completely, focused entirely on the growing heat and need that was slowly driving him insane.

Time lost all meaning from that point forward, becoming a swirling mix of harsh breathing, rough hands, slick skin and desire. It wasn't until Fong tensed under him and cried out as he spilled over Verde's hand that reality snapped back into focus. His eyes locked with Fong's and what he saw in them overwhelmed him, causing that same tightness in his chest even as his body began to tremble with pleasure. He forced himself to maintain that connection between them even as he peaked, hips jerking with each hot wave that coursed through him.

There was no time to spare, he realized, in any sort of post-orgasmic slump. Fong was trembling under him and the look in those dark eyes had shifted into a nervous uncertainty. Finding that intolerable in ways he was certain he'd never be able to express verbally, Verde slid his arms around Fong, lifting him slightly so that as he slumped back into his chair he was able to settle him in his lap, holding him close. His hand slid along Fong's spine slowly, petting him in gentle reassurance.

"It might be a while before they'd let me take you out to dinner," he said thoughtfully. "But it would be nice if you'd stay and have dinner here with me tonight. Tomorrow night, and the night after, too."

Relaxation slowly spread through Fong's body, and Verde's chest seemed to loosen slightly with every muscle that released. He had to admit to himself that he liked it when Fong nuzzled into his neck, practically purring with pleasure. That was the reason, he told himself, that he slid his other hand into Fong's hair, stroking it gently. There was something about this situation that soothed the irritation that had been swelling up in him for days, possibly weeks now, and he acknowledged that he approved of it, because the warm, gentle man in his arms felt good to him.

"Dinner in sounds nice," Fong murmured against Verde's neck, dropping a soft kiss on his skin. "You can show me your home. I'd like to see it."

Verde almost protested that this wasn't his home, just his prison. But there was something about the situation that shed light on a few things and he was slowly realizing that maybe over the past years he'd lost that battle. The thought of showing his apartment that he'd worked so diligently to match to his specifications pleased him all of a sudden, giving him a sense of pride and ownership he hadn't experienced before. That brought to light the idea that maybe he needed to reconsider his concepts of freedom and home, because he liked the idea of opening that space to Fong and letting him explore.

"It's nothing special," he said out loud, trying to sound nonchalant. "But it suits me."

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*Title translates to "From possibility to actuality".


	8. Chapter V:  Amor et melle et felle

**Chapter V: Amor et melle et felle est fecundissmismus (Airport / Namimori / Current Day)**

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**A/N: **This was a painful chapter to write because I hate hurting people emotionally. No one wants to be the person set aside when their lover chooses someone else. However for things to progress while maintaining honor, this chapter had to happen. So I hope you find it as bittersweet as I did.

**ADVERTISEMENT:** I am seeking new beta readers as mine are no longer truly available to work on this story. So if you have a solid grasp of the English language, know your commas, know your homonyms and can retain the history of the story line so far and know when you need to fact check, I'd love to invite you on board for the rest of _Ex Umbra in Solem_ and the several stories to follow.

**FEEDBACK:** Your comments lately have me all fired up to write whenever I can. So please feel free to comment and let me know how you're enjoying the story so far. I'm in a place where I could really use the emotional boost, as well.

* * *

Although it was something he'd never admit to, not even on pain of death, Reborn was feeling slightly unsteady as he left Tsuna at the airport and walked into the terminal to meet Bianchi's flight. It didn't show in his confident stride or the arrogance that shone from his eyes, but it was there inside him. Things had been changing around him in unexpected ways over the past few months. While he was proud of the way Tsuna had been growing and maturing lately, the addition of this new emotional connection between them was throwing Reborn off balance.

Reborn could acknowledge to himself that he was hopelessly attached to Tsuna, but he'd never imagined it would work itself out like this. Tsuna had been a favored student, maybe even a beloved pet in some ways. Certainly he was someone to torture and entertain himself with as he trained him up to be a proper boss. He had planned to keep an eye on him for quite a while to come, in much the same way he'd watched over Timoteo and Iemitsu when they were young.

His entire perspective had changed when he'd watched that bullet rip through Tsuna's body, tearing him open in a spray of blood. It had stunned him, how dark the world had gone around him as he'd watched Tsuna falter for a long moment and then fall from the sky in front of him. The mix of rage and helplessness that had swamped him at that moment was something he never wanted to experience again.

To this day Reborn didn't remember calling on the power inside himself that had changed his form so quickly, something that normally would have caused him extreme amounts of pain. His world had narrowed down to the sight of Tsuna struggling to get up and come to him, only to slip on his own blood and fall back down again. Then it had become a blur of his own power flowing out of him and into Tsuna.

If Reborn was honest with himself, he'd also admit that he didn't remember healing Tsuna at all. What he remembered was fear, overwhelming panic and a desperate need to make the blood stop. Reborn had never been squeamish and he'd never been afraid of taking a wound himself if it meant getting the job done. That alone would have made it clear to him on later reflection that his emotional attachment to Tsuna was more than just a normal teacher and student relationship. The kiss between them however had made any need to reflect on those emotions unnecessary. By the time his energy had faded and he'd collapsed with Tsuna, Reborn had been very well aware of just how firmly ensnared he was.

It drove him insane in some ways, as he worked his way through understanding and accepting these feelings. Reborn was by his very nature territorial and possessive, often in a dangerous manner. His bonds with Timoteo and Iemitsu had helped him focus that part of his nature by protecting the Vongola and their allies, allowing him a sense of guardianship over their Family. In that time, however, he'd never had to share anything he chose to properly mark as his. This attachment to Tsuna was straining every emotional resource Reborn had, because while he was smart enough to assess and understand the level of Tsuna's love for him, Tsuna would never really be entirely Reborn's. He would always have to share him with the other dangerous, violent men that Tsuna drew to his side so effortlessly and unintentionally.

While it was petty of him, Reborn was glad that Tsuna was leaving home. There would be a place where, at least at night, Tsuna's attention would be his and his alone. He wouldn't have to share those nights with the younger children as he often did now, and he'd already made plans to discourage the older boys from sleeping over too often. Cursed body or not, there was no way in hell that he would sleep in another room while one of these impudent brats claimed time with his Tsuna in what would also be his home.

Reborn understood that it was unlikely that Tsuna's growing intimacy with the others would ever truly fade. He'd been Vongola through a few generations now, after all, and the pattern had held true with each of the bosses he'd watched. He knew how tightly those bonds formed between a boss and their Guardians. That didn't mean he had to be agreeable to the idea of letting them sleep over in a bed Reborn claimed as his, and he wasn't going to be. If they wanted to be close to Tsuna, they'd find a way to work around his restrictions and Reborn could handle that. It wasn't like he was well-known for monogamy either, after all.

No matter how lost in these thoughts he was at the moment, however, Reborn wasn't foolish enough to let his guard down. So he was prepared when Bianchi strolled casually out of the gate and caught sight of him waiting for her by a window. As young as Bianchi was, she was a talented killer and he'd trained her well and aggressively from the time she'd begun showering him with gifts while still a young child. With what he'd come to talk to her about, he'd need to keep his eyes open and make no mistakes.

"Reborn," Bianchi almost seemed to flinch slightly at the sight of him, which he hadn't been expecting. He watched as she gathered her thoughts and emotions and then made her way over to him. "I wasn't expecting to see you here. You must have missed me, after all."

He realized with her words how careless he'd been about allowing her infatuation to grow. It had started out as something small and innocent, a game to entertain himself with while offering comfort to a child. She'd been a hurt and lonely little girl with a father who was infatuated with someone new and had no idea how to communicate with this small female child his late wife had left him. Reborn had spotted her at a Vongola gathering, hiding in a corner and playing alone with a doll, ignored by the adults around her.

It was rare of Reborn to offer anyone comfort, but there had been something about that little girl that had tugged at his own memories of being so different from the other children around him. If anyone understood the difference in social standing that power created, it was Reborn. So he'd joined her and struck up a casual conversation, asking about her family, school and other things a child her age would understand and know how to share.

She had been so obviously grateful for the attention that he'd made a small effort every now and then to drop in on her family and visit while conducting business for Timoteo. The growing talent in her was obvious and he'd found nothing wrong with helping her learn how to use her skills. He had to admit some part of him had enjoyed the attention she'd showered him with as a child, making gifts for him and always looking so happy to see him. It was a rare human connection for Reborn, and one that didn't involve the business of the Family.

Reborn had been there for her when Hayato had first appeared in her life, and he knew for a fact just how much Bianchi truly adored her little brother. He knew about every photo album and video she'd made, documenting Hayato's childhood over the years. He'd been proud because he felt in some way that by being there for her when she was young, he'd given her the strength to love this new addition to her family.

When she'd fallen in love for the first time with that ridiculous idiot of a boy, Reborn had pulled back slightly. No matter how young the boy was, Reborn's reputation in the mafia world was in every way overwhelming. He'd wanted Bianchi to have the chance to blossom into romance and love without tainting the experience by making the boy fear him. His temper had exploded when he'd heard the boy had been cheating on her, but she'd taken care of it before Reborn had even managed to make it into town to deal with the boy appropriately.

That was when he'd made his first real mistake, Reborn realized. She'd become infatuated with the idea of his coming to her rescue. Reborn had been frustrated with dealing with the curse and flattered by the attention, happy for the distraction. It had seemed harmless to let her indulge herself in the crush and it had been soothing to his ego.

Now, however, he realized how cruel he'd been by indulging her for so long. As he glanced at her standing in front of him, he saw uncertainty and nervousness. It was obvious that Tsuna's plan to distract Bianchi had been somewhat successful, because there were shadows of guilt and pain in her eyes. Looking her over thoughtfully, he decided that Tsuna may have been more successful than he'd planned because there was a new sense of maturity to Bianchi that gave him some idea of just how far Lancia had gotten in getting to know her.

"I thought we should talk," Reborn said, hopping down from the windowsill to walk beside her, leading her towards the exit.

It was almost as though she flinched at the words, although Bianchi was too much of a professional to show her nervousness so obviously. It was the way her hand moved up to her neck to cover a mark that only the most discerning eyes would have ever spotted that clued him in fully. Tsuna had been fully successful in baiting Bianchi and now she was struggling with the emotional impact of that. It made him want to smack Tsuna soundly and he promised himself he'd put the boy through a round of training he'd never forget for causing Bianchi pain. No matter how jealous Tsuna was, Bianchi was a good and gentle person at heart and didn't deserve the pain her current confusion was causing her.

"I was going to head straight home," she said, smiling down at him through her nerves. "Did you miss me so much that you couldn't wait?" He could see the hope and fear glimmering in her eyes as she spoke.

"I was going to tell you the truth, Bianchi," Reborn said, gesturing for her to follow him as they left the airport and he flagged down the driver he'd arranged for the ride home. "I thought it was best to do it before you got to the house."

She waited until they were settled in the back of the limousine and the privacy partition was up before replying, "The truth about what, Reborn?"

"It's time for me to let you go, Bianchi," Reborn told her, looking at her directly. No matter how much he wanted to avoid causing her pain, he would not be a coward about this or do her the dishonor of refusing to look her in the eyes while he did. "I've indulged both you and myself with this, but it's not right. Even if I wasn't trapped by this curse Bianchi, I could never be the person you need me to be."

"That's not true, Reborn!" Bianchi leaned closer to him, sliding her arms around him almost desperately and pulling him close, using her size and his to manipulate him into her lap so that she could hold him tightly against her body. "I've always understood the limitations you're under with your curse, my love. It would never change the way I feel about you."

"But a handsome young man would," Reborn replied, patting her cheek gently. "And there's no reason to tear yourself up inside for wanting to spend time with one." He gave her a knowing look. "I can see the end of my physical limitations coming in the reasonable future, Bianchi. As much as I care about you and I'll always be here for you, you won't be the person I turn to when that happens. I have someone else I'll turn to when I have my full body back." With a graceful movement, he slipped from her lap and back to his position on the car seat.

Bianchi flushed and pulled away from him fully, and he could see her moods flickering between shame, rage and pain. He was proud when she didn't react explosively and he watched as she thought her way through what he'd said and her own feelings. There was a slightly frosty edge in her eyes as she looked at him when she spoke again.

"It's him, isn't it?" she asked, her voice trembling. "It's always been him, ever since you came to Japan. The minute you set eyes on him I lost any chance I'd ever had." Her breath caught on a repressed sob. "I wish you'd never been sent here to teach him! I should have killed him then."

"I wouldn't have allowed you to, Bianchi," Reborn said softly, his chest clenching slightly at the sight of her pain. "Tsuna was my responsibility. It was my job to guide and teach him."

"If he wasn't in the way, we wouldn't be having this conversation," she snapped at him. "Everything would be okay!"

"This isn't Tsuna's fault." Reborn straightened slightly, giving her a sharp look of warning. "And before you get any funny ideas in that pretty head of yours, you'd do well to remember all that he's done for you and Hayato both over the past few years. Tsuna would never want to bring you pain, Bianchi. He loves you like a sister. Be angry with me if you have to, but if you do anything to upset Tsuna I'll intervene and I promise that it won't be pretty."

"Why are you constantly protecting him?" Bianchi's eyes were full of tears now, and he could see the temper blossoming behind the pain. "Why is he so much more important to you than I ever have been? What can he give you that I can't? Why is it okay to hurt me, and not him?" She was shaking and it tore at him to see her like this.

Watching her, Reborn debated on how to answer her questions. There was the surface answer that revolved around passion, need and love, but that was the kind of attachment in many ways that Bianchi had formed for him. It was a shallow commitment that he knew she'd heal from before long. So out of respect for the child who'd been so sweet and the woman who'd helped him in so many ways, he gave her the absolute truth.

"He is the only one who can leash the monster inside me," Reborn told her bluntly, meeting her eyes again. "There are all kinds of killers in the mafia world and there are many sorts of warriors, Bianchi. Then there are the monsters that are so dangerous and so destructive that the only way to control them is to chain them down in some way. To cripple them in some manner that limits them somehow. The monster in me wants to obey him in every way, no matter how much it pisses me off sometimes." It was dark and nauseating to acknowledge, but also painfully true. "And my leash isn't the only one Tsuna holds. It's just the most dangerous. You're a smart girl. You can see the others he's bending to his will without even realizing it."

"You're not a monster," Bianchi protested, but he could see the knowledge in her eyes as her clever mind rolled what he'd said around over and over again. Bianchi slumped back against the car seat as her mind came up with the facts. "You mean Mukuro, don't you? You're not like him, Reborn. He's insane."

"I'm exactly like him," Reborn told her, slightly amused now. "Mukuro isn't the only one who has attacked the Vongola in the past. Just because I haven't done it lately doesn't mean I wouldn't for the right reasons. But it's not just Mukuro either."

"You mean Xanxus, right? There was no good reason for him to come here while Tsuna was hurt, or for him to stay so long." Bianchi's tears welled up again. "But you know that Tsuna was with him, then, right? It's all over the main house in Italy now. Even the maids are talking about it, that they had sex. That Xanxus had the honor of teaching the Tenth Vongola the pleasures of the bed. How can you love him like that, if he can't even be loyal to you? He wasn't even willing to wait for you, Reborn! He whored himself out to Xanxus to lose his virginity, and he's practically sleeping with all of them!"

"I do mean Xanxus," Reborn nodded, ignoring the clear attempt to provoke him, "and Kyoya as well. Slowly but surely, one by one, Tsuna's enemies find themselves serving him, whether they meant to or not. I'm not even sure they understand why yet."

"So because Tsuna's strong, you're all right with him whoring himself out to draw them in?" Bianchi was practically glowing with jealousy.

That was sheer temper on her part and while Reborn understood her anger, his patience had limits and before he realized it he was taking aim at her, Leon a hard, metallic and dangerous weight in his hand. Reborn could feel the moment she realized exactly what he was willing to do to her and it broke something inside him to watch her crumble emotionally in front of him. He let Leon return to the brim of his fedora as Bianchi curled up on the seat, arms wrapping around her knees as she trembled.

"Tsuna is the boss I'll serve for the rest of his life and quite possibly my own," Reborn said calmly, not caring at the moment how dangerous his aura may seem to her. "And I will serve him in every way that he needs me to. I may not like having to share him, Bianchi, but at least Tsuna is honest and open with me about it." He nodded towards the mark on her neck, indicating his awareness of what she'd been doing while still in Italy. "He respects me enough to give me a choice. My need for him is more important than locking him away from the other people who need him just as much."

The car pulled to a stop in front of the Sawada house and Reborn decided to end this now before it devolved into a brutal cycle of accusations and hurt. "Bianchi, I enjoyed the time we spent together and it means a lot to me. But it's time for this to end. It's time for you to look for someone else to give you what you really need. You deserve to be happy, and I would never make you truly happy."

Leaving her in the car, Reborn hopped out and made his way towards the house. He was about to open the door when Nana opened it for him, looking down at him in surprise. Normally he would have some suave greeting for her or a bit of flattery, but at the moment he was too raw and unbalanced. Reborn had a moment of deep insight into the source of Tsuna's gentle nature when Nana's expression softened quickly. He watched her look over to the car and notice Bianchi before she crouched down to meet his eyes properly.

"I'll take care of this, Reborn," she said, reaching out to touch his cheek gently. "A woman's tears are something that you share with another woman. Why don't you go inside? Tsuna's in his room, finishing his packing. You can make sure he hasn't forgotten anything important. You know how he can be."

Nodding in relief, Reborn pulled himself together and made his way inside, leaving Bianchi to Nana. Making his way upstairs, he was relieved to find Tsuna alone and sprawled out on the bed. Everything was packed but what they'd need for the night and that helped to soothe Reborn. Setting his hat and jacket on the desk chair, Reborn hopped up onto the bed to join him, sitting on the pillow next to his head.

If Bianchi had managed to make him doubt his choice in any way, the smile Tsuna gave him would have blown those doubts away in an instant. Not having any doubts anyway, it warmed Reborn just the same and he couldn't help but return the smile with a small one of his own. He watched Tsuna give him the same gentle look that Nana had given him and saw the understanding in his eyes.

"Welcome back," Tsuna said, rolling onto his side to fully face Reborn. "I was hoping you'd be home soon."

Reborn appreciated the way that Tsuna didn't ask about how things had gone, or what had happened. There was concern in Tsuna's eyes but it was counterbalanced by an inherent trust in Reborn to tell him if there was something wrong, and an understanding that some things were too painful to talk about right away. Because of that, Reborn allowed himself to relax further.

"I'm supposed to make sure you haven't forgotten to pack anything important," he informed Tsuna as he leaned back to lounge properly on the pillow. "Mama thinks I should check up on you." It was his way of telling Tsuna that Nana was handling things with Bianchi now and that they'd be undisturbed for a while. He could see that Tsuna understood what he was saying without words.

"I haven't forgotten anything. Anything that's left now, I'm leaving for the kids," Tsuna informed him, yawning slightly, "so that they don't have to go through my boxes and steal what they want to keep."

"Well, if you're sure." Reborn reached out to pat Tsuna on the top of his head in quiet approval. "I had most of my things moved yesterday, so we'll just have your boxes to handle in the morning. I'll arrange for transportation tonight."

"Thank you, Reborn." Tsuna snuggled a bit deeper into the mattress. "I'll miss being at home, but it's for the best."

Watching him thoughtfully, Reborn let himself pet Tsuna slowly, his small hand running through Tsuna's hair over and over again. When Tsuna smiled again, eyes slipping closed as he practically purred at the petting, Reborn couldn't help but melt a little inside. As much as today had hurt, it had been worth it. Tsuna was his, after all, and he needed to start looking to the future and leaving the past where it belonged.

"We have time for a nap before dinner," Tsuna mumbled sleepily, yawning again.

"A nap is a good idea," Reborn replied, shifting a little to get comfortable on the pillow.

Tsuna didn't answer him verbally, but a sleepy arm came up and curled around him gently. He considered whacking Tsuna for getting clingy, but then gentle fingers slid into his hair and now he was the one being petted. Deciding that he could handle clingy if there was petting involved, Reborn echoed Tsuna's next yawn and drifted slowly towards sleep as Tsuna snuggled him closer. The world could wait a little longer while they slept.

* * *

*Title translates to "love is rich with both honey and venom".


	9. Chapter VI: A posse ad esse

**Chapter VI: A posse ad esse (Tsuna's Apartment / Namimori / Current Day)**

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**A/N:** So it's taken me a while to get back to putting out chapters and I apologize for that. I had a series of promotions at work that greatly escalated the workload and time involved in my job.

With the end of the manga there's been a huge increase in reviews and favorites on this story and its prequel which has motivated me to get my ass in gear and finish the story.

* * *

The morning of the move, both Tsuna and Reborn woke early and grumpy. Neither of them was looking forward to leaving Nana's house. Breakfast that morning was an awkward affair. Bianchi was notably absent and neither of them was willing to inquire about it, but Tsuna's mother gave them both a reassuring pat. The children were full of teary eyes and pouting lips while Nana was doing everything she could to make sure both of her grown boys were well fed before they left her care.

Tsuna was reluctant to leave the children behind, even knowing that it was the safest place for them to be. He knew his parents would take care of Futa, I-pin and Lambo with all of the love any parent could give a child. He'd become attached to them and his heart ached a little at the thought of not seeing them at breakfast every morning or at dinner every night. So Tsuna allowed himself to be swarmed by the children after breakfast, letting them hug, snuggle, tickle and flail as much as they needed to, so that they could finally let him go with promises of sleepovers for each of them in the near future.

Reborn was finding that he'd become more attached to this home than he'd ever thought he would have. It irritated him that he'd made such an emotional slip but that didn't stop him from letting Nana hug him as much as she needed to, while the last of his and Tsuna's belongings were moved. Instead he gave in, basking slightly in the warmth and affection of her love.

They walked to the Vongola office building, deciding to enjoy the fresh air and quiet for a while before facing the task of unpacking. It was quiet this early on a Sunday morning as they wandered through Namimori. Shops were just beginning to open their doors and the normal rush of students was absent. Neither felt much like talking, and focused instead on enjoying the quiet comfort of being together on such a beautiful morning.

The movers Reborn had hired were gone by the time they reached the office and made their way downstairs to the newly built apartment. Standing outside the door to his new home, Tsuna paused and realized his hands were shaking. He realized then he was scared. So much had changed and still was changing, all of it moving so fast now. This new home was a huge step forward towards a future that scared the hell out of him. A future that Tsuna had categorically denied wanting, until he'd realized what the future held for the people he loved the most.

"There's no reason to be afraid, Tsuna," Reborn told him, hopping down from his shoulder to stand next to him. "Everyone has to grow up sometime and leave the nest."

"I've never really been on my own," Tsuna replied, giving him a shaky smile. His hand was still trembling slightly as he reached out to key his security code in before opening the door, blinking as lights slowly came on in the room in front of them.

"You're not alone now," Reborn scolded him as he moved into the apartment to investigate it curiously. "And as long as I'm here you never will be. That's what it means to be Family."

Those words left Tsuna frozen for a moment on the threshold, as his mind spun with the implications. He'd been so tied up in protecting everyone for so long now that he'd almost forgotten that each and every one of them gave something to him in return. It was such a deep and complex realization that it shook him to the core, and he envied Reborn's ability to express something so overwhelming with such small and easy words. His Family was his because he gave them something they needed, and in return, they filled the empty spots inside of him that he'd allowed to hold him back for so long.

"You're right, Reborn," Tsuna said softly. He straightened up slowly, pulling himself together. The nervousness and fear slid out of him as he crossed the threshold, taking a deliberate step towards adulthood and responsibility. The approving nod and the smile on Reborn's face reassured him that as hard as this may be, it would be worth it.

Looking around, Tsuna had to admit that as much as he disliked his reasons for moving out of his parents' home, the Vongola had done an amazing job of compensating for the pain of that transition by providing an incredible apartment for him. It was small and nestled underground beneath his office, but as he looked around almost possessively, all he could do was smile. He'd left all of the details to his father, Lal and Basil, not wanting to be any sort of an additional burden on his Family by making demands. As he explored the small space, he could see how much effort and care they had put into making this a home to suit him.

It was a small apartment, limited by the size of the building itself and the need for a training room for himself and the others on the same floor. What Tsuna liked about it, however, was the thought that had gone into designing it. The colors were soothing and very different from the strong, bold colors he'd been surrounded by when he'd gone to Rome to visit the Family.

The kitchen area was tiny, something that he appreciated because he knew he lacked the skills to cook for himself and he was fairly sure Reborn would shoot him if asked to cook. It was designed for pre-made meals that could be easily reheated by microwave if needed, but still well enough equipped to allow him to try making a meal if he wanted to. Looking into the cupboards and refrigerator, he noted that both had been well-stocked and it would be a while before he had to shop for food.

"Mama made sure there'd be enough food for your bottomless stomach," Reborn told him, resuming his place on Tsuna's shoulder to look into the refrigerator cheerfully.

"I am not the one in this household who has a bottomless stomach," Tsuna grumbled at him as he closed the door. "I'm the one who never gets to eat a whole meal because his tutor can eat his weight in food and still be hungry."

"I'm a growing boy. Mama understands that," Reborn replied smugly, smirking at him under the brim of his hat. Tsuna couldn't do anything but laugh at that as he moved on to continue looking around.

The space saved in the small kitchen design had been put to good use in the living room, which had enough seating for Tsuna, his Guardians and guests. It was casual and comfortable, with an inviting kotatsu centered in the room. The teenaged boy in Tsuna also appreciated the wide-screen television and game systems along one wall. There was a small desk in the corner with a matching chair, obviously designed for school work, given that his office was just above him now. It was a silent reminder that no matter how involved he became in the mafia, he was expected to keep his studies up.

He didn't know who to thank for the bathroom, but someone had obviously taken into consideration how little private time Tsuna really had and how stressful things were right now. The tub was larger than anything he'd seen in Japan, deep enough that he could kneel in it and still be covered to the chin in hot water and long enough that he could stretch out and relax fully. It would be good for relaxing after a long day, or far more likely for soaking out the bruises from training and the fights that seemed to spring up around him so often these days. Reborn hummed approvingly and hopped down again to explore the cupboards while Tsuna moved on.

The bedroom caught him by surprise and had him laughing softly before he realized it. It was clear his Family was fully aware of his more intimate relationships if the size of the bed was anything to go by. Flopping down in the middle of it, Tsuna couldn't help a happy sigh. He hadn't really noticed, but his childhood bed was definitely not made to handle a body that took the beatings his had been taking over the past few years. As he stared at the ceiling he felt muscles relax that he hadn't even realized he had.

"I ordered this and the bathtub," Reborn said, making his way in to check on Tsuna. "Since you're too clumsy to avoid being hit, I figured we should at least make sure you can heal properly." He hopped up onto the bed to join him. "It will keep your late night whimpering to a minimum."

Tsuna grinned and rolled on his side to face him. "From what the future you said, you like my whimpering at night."

Reborn stared at Tsuna for a long moment with glazed eyes, and then Tsuna turned bright red from the neck up and hid his face in the pillow. The dark chuckle that followed made him burrow even deeper into the pillow, completely embarrassed by what he'd said. Reborn let him hide for a few minutes before patting the top of his head affectionately.

"It's years too early for you to be saying things like that, Tsuna," Reborn told him, obviously still amused. "But if it helps any, you're just as embarrassed by it in the future as you are now."

Tsuna groaned and pulled himself upright, sitting on the bed, and tried to change the subject. "Maybe we should just unpack."

"That's probably for the best," Reborn nodded in agreement, still chuckling. "All your blood is going to entirely the wrong head to continue this particular discussion."

That was the moment Tsuna knew with complete certainty that Reborn would always be a few steps ahead of him in some areas of their life together and he made the decision to accept that. Mostly because arguing against it would end in sheer humiliation and he already entertained Reborn enough on a daily basis that way.

* * *

*Title translates to "From possibility to actuality".


End file.
